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Odeon of Herodes Atticus Carl Siele, Γεράσιμος Σκιαδαρέσης Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Odeon of Herodes Atticus Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
View of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus Jacques-Philippe Le Bas, Julien Le Roy Rijksmuseum © Rijksmuseum / Public domain -
Postcard of the Acropolis with the Odeon of Herodes Atticus American Farm School of Thessaloniki © Historical Archives of the American Farm School of Thessaloniki CC BY-NC 4.0 -
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus Félix Bonfils The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust. Public Domain CC0 -
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus James Robertson The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust. Public Domain CC0 -
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus Félix Bonfils The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust. Public Domain CC0 -
Sections of the reconstruction of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus Architekturmuseum der Technischen Universität Berlin CC0 1.0 Universal - Public Domain Dedication -
Plans of the condition and reconstruction of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus Architekturmuseum der Technischen Universität Berlin CC0 1.0 Universal - Public Domain Dedication -
Marble relief showing two satyrs and a maenad pouring a libation to Dionysus The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
The Odeion of Herodes Atticus, the Stoa of Eumenes and the Theatre of Dionysus James Skene The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, also known as the Herodeon, is located on the southern slopes of the Acropolis, at their western end. It was a covered building primarily intended for musical competitions. Its construction was funded by Tiberius Claudius Atticus Herodes, an Athenian philosopher, senator and scion of a wealthy family, in memory of his wife Regilla, who passed away in 160 CE. The exact year of the structure’s foundation is not known, but it is determined to be between the death of Regilla and 174 CE, the year Pausanias visited Athens. The Herodeon impressed the traveller, as he mentions it with admiration for its architecture and aesthetics. The surviving three-story façade of the stage with its characteristic arched openings continues to awe any present-day visitor.
It is estimated that the Odeon had a capacity of 4800-5000 people. The theatron (koilon), where the spectators sat, was semi-circular and carved into the rock. It had 32 rows of marble seats, and a horizontal aisle (diazoma) divided it into two seating areas. On the theatre’s either side, there were two monumental staircases that connected the tiers to the stage. The orchestra, also semi-circular, was paved with coloured marble slabs. The monumental stage was elevated, measuring 35 metres in length, and consisted of three floors, with its total surviving height measuring 28 metres. It bore rich decoration with arched openings, columns and niches where statues were placed.
Ancient sources state that its roof was constructed of cedar wood, a particularly luxurious and expensive material. As no traces of supports have been found, the roof of the koilon, which had a radius of 38 metres, must have been a significant architectural achievement for the time.
The Herodeon was destroyed by fire during the invasion of the Heruli in 267 CE and was not rebuilt for further use as a venue for musical events. A portion of it was incorporated into the fortification of the city in the so-called late Roman wall, which was built in the 3rd century CE. During the 13th century, the surviving wall of the stage was integrated into the Rizokastro, as the fortification erected by the Franks around the “roots” (foothills) of the Acropolis hill is called. After the excavations of the 19th century, the Herodeon began to function again in the modern era with theatrical performances. In the 20th century, interventions and reconstructions continued, and today it hosts a multitude of theatrical and musical events.
