The Theater of Dionysus is an ancient theater
building in the city of Athens. It is located on the southeastern
slope of the Acropolis and is one of the most ancient theaters in
the world. The theater was built in the 5th century. BC e. and was
made of wood. Performances in the theater were held twice a year -
during the Lesser Dionysia and the Great Dionysia.
During the
Great Dionysia, theater competitions were held in Athens. Usually
three authors of tragedies competed. Each of the participants staged
three tragedies and one satyr drama, in a playful way, playing up a
mythological plot. The authors of comedies who staged one play also
competed. The results were recorded in special inscriptions -
didascalia, which were stored in the Athenian state archive. The
general management of the theatrical performances was carried out by
the Athenian archon.
About 326-325 BC. e. the theater was
reconstructed: the wooden stage and rows of seats were replaced with
marble ones. Stone seats were placed in 67 rows, reaching the base
of the Acropolis. The theater now accommodated up to 17 thousand
spectators, which at that time was about half of the Athenian
citizens.
Due to the huge size of the theater, there were no
roofs, and therefore the actors, choir and spectators were located
in the open air, and the stage action took place in natural light.
The first row consisted of 67 marble chairs for honorary
spectators. The names and positions of the owners were carved on
them. The ledge and chair in the second row is the bed of the Roman
emperor Hadrian, a fan of Greek culture. Emperor Nero also performed
here.
The theater was rebuilt in the Roman era in the 1st
century BC. n. e., including circus and gladiatorial performances.
Hence the high side in front of the first row. From an artistic
point of view, the best thing about the ruins of the theater is a
sculptural frieze from the time of Emperor Nero with funny satyrs.
The ruins of other historical buildings have been preserved near
the theater: the remains of two temples of Dionysus of the 6th and
4th centuries BC. er, the stones of the Pericles Odeon. The ruins of
the theater were discovered in 1862 during excavations in Athens at
the foot of the Acropolis by German archaeologists Heinrich Strack,
Ernst Curtius and Karl Boetticher. Ernst Ziller made measurements
and sketches on behalf of the Athenian Archaeological Society.
Konstantinos Boletis developed a project for a partial
reconstruction of the theatre. In 2010, the reconstruction process
was supposed to be completed in 5 years; six million euros have been
allocated for this event. It is planned to add several more tiers to
the remaining stone seats, combining ancient fragments with new
stone, and it is also planned to strengthen the retaining walls and
other parts of the building.