Theater of Dionysos (Dionysos Theater) description and photos - Greece: Athens (Topic)

Dionysos Theater description and photos - Greece: Athens. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Dionysos Theater.

Photo and description

On the southeastern slope of the legendary Athenian Acropolis, one of the world's oldest theaters, the Dionysus Theater, is located. This is an important historical monument, as well as one of the most interesting sights of the Greek capital.

Many centuries ago, the theater of Dionysus was the site of the famous festivals in honor of the god Dionysus - Great and Lesser Dionysias, during which popular in Athens were also held theatrical competitions. It was on the stage of the Dionysus Theater that plays by such famous ancient Greek authors as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus and Aristophanes were first presented to the public.

The first theater of Dionysus was built in the 5th century BC. The stage and seating in the original theater were made of wood. By the end of the 5th century, some of the wooden structures were replaced by stone ones. In the second half of the 4th century, as part of the plan for the improvement of Athens, it was decided to reconstruct the theater. The new marble theater of Dionysus was renowned for its excellent acoustics and was able to accommodate 17,000 spectators, which at the time of its completion amounted to almost half of the population of Athens. In the 4th century BC, as, indeed, several centuries later, the seats in the first row were intended for high-ranking officials, as evidenced by the engravings partially preserved to this day.

В 1- m century A.D. during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero, a large-scale reconstruction of the theater was carried out, including a high side in front of the first row, which we can still see today. A sculptural frieze depicting satyrs discovered by archaeologists during excavations dates back to the same period.

Around the 4th century AD. the theater of Dionysus was abandoned.

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Topic: Theater of Dionysos (Dionysos Theater) description and photos - Greece: Athens.