In the heart of ancient Athens, on the slopes of the Acropolis hill the first conception of ancient theatre was born. Where once the rhapsodists and the aides used to sing the feats of gods and heroes, Thespis from Athens invented the tragedy and acting in the 6th c. B.C. according to the traveler Pausanias. He was probably the first to have the leading dancer of the dithyramb to dialogue with the Chorus, and therefore, the first theatrical piece was created.
The Thespis' invention was the evolution of the choric hymns (dithyrambs) in honor of Dionysos Eleuthereus, whose cult was introduced all over Attica from the adjacent city of Eleftherai in the time of the tyrant Peisistratus. The first theater was built next to the temples dedicated to Dionysus on the southern slope of the Acropolis in the 6th century. B.C., and thus the festival of the City Dionysia was established.
The theater of Dionysos Eleuthereus was a magnificent technical achievement that gradually evolved over the centuries. From the 6th century until 350 B.C. the parts of the theater were mostly wooden with marble additions. The Theater of Dionysus owes its current form to the politician Lycurgus (c. 390-324 B.C.), who, as the main supervisor of the economic and construction program, remodeled the theatre in marble and gave it a more monumental form.
The theater of the 4th century BC had a permanent stage which extended in front of the orchestra and the spectaors’ seats (theatre) which covered the hillside with 67 rows of seats which reached the edge of the ancient stroll. The seats of the first row have the form of marble thrones with the central one being the throne of the priest of Dionysus. The stage building had two backstages, on which ladders or movable stage parts were placed.
The circular architectural design of the theatre and its position on a sloping ground has an archetypal role in the history of the architecture of theatres, which became a model for all theaters in antiquity. In this theater and in all the theatres of the Greek cities, the works of the great tragedians and comedians (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Eupolis, Aristophanes, Menander and others) were staged, which influenced the theatrical activity the next centuries.
Over the centuries, the theatre of Dionysos was destroyed and rebuilt several times, with its current form retaining mainly elements of the Roman period. Today it is an emblematic landmark for both Athenian archeology and the visitor of the modern city.
This exhibition presents the theatre of Dionysus Eleuthereus through a wealth of evidence such as photographs of architectural parts, engravings, architectural plans, postcards, paintings, diaries of excavations and drawings of finds and architectural parts.
The exhibition contains items from the following institutions:
