-
Theater of Dionysus. Architectural remains of the portico of the sanctuary of Dionysos Elefthereus. View from the southeast. Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Theater of Dionysus. Architectural remains of the portico of the sanctuary of Dionysos Elefthereus. View from the east. Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Theatre of Dionysus Γεράσιμος Σκιαδαρέσης, Carl Siele Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Theater of Dionysus, throne of the priest of Dionysus with relief of Eros on the right side Carl Siele, Γεράσιμος Σκιαδαρέσης Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The theatre of Dionysus, view of the koilon (seating area) Carl Siele, Γεράσιμος Σκιαδαρέσης Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The stage of the theatre of Dionysus Dimitrios Constantin The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust. Public Domain CC0 -
Roman coin The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
The Theatre of Dionysus Sir William Gell The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Terracotta figure of a pig The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Marble draped female figure (Aphrodite) The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Lamp found at the Theatre of Dionysus depicting Herakles with a club and lion-skin, holding the Golden Apples of the Hesperides. Preimos The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Engraved ring with an actor folding a theater mask The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California © J. Paul Getty Trust. Public Domain CC0 -
Fragmentary marble inscription that lists small sums of money expended in connection with an athletic festival The Metropolitan Museum of Art © 2000–2023 The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Public domain -
Interior, Theater of Dionysius, Athens Félix Bonfils The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust, Public Domain CC0 -
Sculpted figure from the parapet of the theater of Dionysus Dimitrios Constantin The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles © J. Paul Getty Trust, Public Domain CC0 -
Votive inscription from the Theater of Dionysus Aikaterini Laskaridis Foundation © Ίδρυμα Αικατερίνης Λασκαρίδη
The Theatre of Dionysus, the primary venue for performances of ancient Attic drama, dominates the southern slope of the Acropolis. The theatre is located to the north of the sanctuary of Dionysus Eleuthereus, with which it is functionally and symbolically connected, as the festival of the Great Dionysia, the greatest celebration in honour of Dionysus, culminated there. During the final days of the festival, tragic poets presented their works, followed by the awarding of the winners. The majority of the architectural remains visible today date back to the 4th century BCE.
Near the first, archaic temple of Dionysus Eleuthereus, circular construction resembling a theatre orchestra was formed after the middle of the 6th century BCE. It is believed that this space hosted events with performative and religious characteristics, attended by spectators either standing around the orchestra or seated on the slope. Later, in the 5th century BCE, wooden planks had been placed in front of the orchestra, possibly in a Π-shaped arrangement, on which stepped seats had been placed for the spectators to sit. This wooden structure for the spectators seems to have become a permanent feature by the mid-5th century BCE, while the stage was likely indicated by makeshift, movable constructions.
The Dionysian theatre was remodelled in the 4th c. BCE in the context of the economic recovery of Athens after the Peloponnesian War, under archon Lycurgus. At that time, a stone circular orchestra, a marble stage with wings and a semi-circular koilon, the area designated for the spectators, were constructed. The koilon, made of limestone, was divided by vertical stairs into tiers and by two horizontal walkways into three parts. It is estimated that it could hold 17.000-19.000 spectators. For the first row of seats, the prohedria, marble thrones were made for city officials, foreign dignitaries and priests.
During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the theatre underwent modifications and reconstructions: the scaenae frons (the stage’s architectural background) acquired a two-story facade, the orchestra was paved with marble slabs, the backstages were relocated so as to place sculptures in the side entrances, a raised podium was built in the central tier and new rows of seats were added to the prohedria. Following the invasion of the Heruli that caused significant damages, a part of the theatre was incorporated into the late Roman city wall, while extensive looting of architectural elements took place. It appears that its function as a theatre ceased, while it continued to serve as a meeting place for the Ekklesia (Assembly of the Demos). The last modification concerned the modification of the logeion (the part of the stage used by actors) by archon Phaedros (2nd half of the 4th–beginning of the 5th century) for the assembly needs of the Demos. In the 5th century, a church was established at the eastern entrance of the stage (parodos), the so-called basilica of the Dionysian theatre.
