One of the sights of the ancient Greek city of Athens is the theater of Dionysus. It is the oldest theater in the world. The theater of Dionysus in Athens was built in the 6th century BC. It was here that the famous Athenian Dionysians were held - festivals in honor of Dionysus, the god of arts and winemaking, held twice a year. The ancient Greeks enjoyed the competitions of the actors, which soon became known as the "theater".
However, the modern concept of theater is very different from ancient Greek. Then, BC, the audience watched only one actor in the mask, showing his ability to the accompaniment of the choir. As a rule, during the Dionysia, two or three actors competed in different genres. Only much later, with the development of theatrical art, the actors stopped wearing masks, and several people began to participate in the performances at once.
Later in the theater of Dionysus in Athens scenes from Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus and other ancient playwrights were staged.
Features of the ancient building of the Athenian Theater Dionysus
There is a theater of Dionysos on the southeast side of the Athenian Acropolis.
In ancient times the theater scene was called an orchestra. From the auditorium she was separated by a moat with water and a wide passage. Behind the orhestra there was a schema - a building where the actors disguised themselves and waited for the entrance to the stage. The walls of the orchestra were decorated with bas-reliefs from the life of the ancient Greek gods, in particular, Dionysus himself, and these works of art have been partially preserved to the present day.
A characteristic feature of the theater of Dionysus is that it does not have a roof and is located under the open sky. It is made in the form of an amphitheater of 67 rows, arranged in the form of a semicircle. This character of the building is due to the large area of the theater, because it was designed for 17 thousand spectators. At that time, it was very much, since the number of Athenians was twice that - about 35 thousand people. Hence, every second inhabitant of Athens could attend the performance.
Initially, the seats for fans of spectacles were made of wood, but in 325 BC they were replaced with marble. Thanks to this, some seats have been preserved to this day. They are very low (only about 40 cm tall), so viewers had to sit on cushions.
And for the most respected visitors to the Dionysus Theater in Ancient Greece, the stone chairs of the first row were nominal - this is evidenced by well-marked inscriptions on them (for example, the chairs of the Roman emperors Nero and Adrian).
At the dawn of our era, in the first century, the theater was rebuilt again, this time under gladiatorial fights and circus performances. Then between the first row and the arena was built a high edge of iron and marble, designed to protect viewers from participants in such performances.
Ancient Greek Theater of Dionysus today
As one of the most ancient buildings of such a great culture, the Dionysus Theater in Athens is subject to restoration. Today, this is the responsibility of the non-profit organization Diazoma. The work is partly financed from the Greek budget, in part from charity funds raised. This will be spent about 6 billion euros. The main restorer is the Greek architect Constantinos Boletis, and the work itself is planned to be completed by 2015.
Here is the plan for the restoration of the famous monument of architecture and art:
- strengthen the walls of the structure;
- to restore old seats and add several tiers of new ones;
- restore the decorative elements that adorn the walls and sides of the theater.
The theater of Dionysus in Greece is a monument to the whole world art. Being in Athens, be sure to visit the ancient Acropolis to pay tribute to this landmark.