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The Choragic monument of Lysicrates Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates Carl Siele, Γεράσιμος Σκιαδαρέσης Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Horagic monument of Lysikrates Eugène Peytier Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation © Ίδρυμα Αικατερίνης Λασκαρίδη -
Choragic Monument of Lysicrates Dimitrios Constantin The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust. Public Domain CC0 -
Study of architectural elements of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates Sebastiano Ittar The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
View and plan of the Choregic monument of Lysicrates, together with architectural drawings of some of the elements of the monument. Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation © Ίδρυμα Αικατερίνης Λασκαρίδη -
The choregic monument of Lysicrates, which served for some time as library of the Capuchin Order. Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation © Ίδρυμα Αικατερίνης Λασκαρίδη
In antiquity, in the bustling Tripodon Street in the historical neighbourhood of Plaka, which connected the Theatre of Dionysus with the Prytaneion on the northern slope of the Acropolis, choregic monuments were dedicated. These were freestanding pedestals with the prizes bestowed by the state upon the champions of the dithyrambic contests of the Great Dionysia. The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, also known as the Lantern of Diogenes, stands to the west of Tripodon Street and, according to the inscription on its architrave, was erected by Lysicrates, a sponsor of the contest, to commemorate his victory in 335/4 BCE.
The institution of choregia involved financial sponsorship from affluent Athenian citizens for performances or contests held during the major festivals. In the Great or En Astei (City) Dionysia, the choregoi (sponsors) undertook the expenses for the preparation of the dithyrambic dance (rehearsals, costumes, masks, etc.) as well as the scenography of the performance. The winning sponsors received as a prize a tripod, usually bronze and occasionally gold or silver, which they placed on a monument to commemorate their victory. The choragic monuments of the dithyrambic contests, initially characterised by simple architectural forms serving the purpose of showcasing the tripod, evolved into monumental structures after the middle of the 4th century. Influenced by the ostentatious spirit and aesthetic values of the time, these monuments acquired monumental dimensions and high construction standards, modelled after buildings of religious or secular character.
The choragic monument of Lysikrates is a monopteral circular building constructed on a square pedestal, with six Corinthian columns alternating with pilasters. Its base is made from limestone, the columns from Pentelic marble and the pilasters from Hymettus marble. The upper part has an Ionic architrave with a frieze and a monolithic conical roof. The surface of the roof displays relief foliage decoration while its apex is shaped into an acanthus that served as the base supporting the choragic tripod. It is believed that the original intention of the monument’s architect was to leave the spaces between the columns vacant to accommodate a statue visible from all sides. Eventually, pilasters were added to help support, along with the columns, the substantial weight of the roof.
The frieze depicts scenes from the Dionysian cycle, specifically the myth of the god’s capture by Tyrrhenian pirates. According to the myth, when Dionysus wanted to go to the island of Naxos, he hired a ship to transport him there. The pirates, unaware of the god’s identity, captured him in order to sell him as a slave in Asia. When Dionysus realised this, he immobilised the ship and transformed the pirates into dolphins. The choice of this myth for the decoration of the frieze is considered by scholars to draw a parallel with the success of the Athenians in suppressing the activity of pirates in the Aegean Sea with the help of the Macedonians, an endeavour in which Lysicrates contributed as a trierarch (the commanding officer of a trireme).
After the middle of the 17th century, the Monastery of the Capuchins, a community of French monks, was founded in Plaka. In 1669, the order acquired the monument of Lysicrates and incorporated it into their monastery. In the early 19th century Thomas Bruce, Lord of Elgin, unsuccessfully attempted to purchase it. In the following decades, after the fire that destroyed the Capuchin Monastery during the siege of Athens by the Ottoman general Kutahi Pasha, the area was cleared, excavations were carried out around the choragic monument and French architects undertook its restoration.
