Theatre of Dionysos
Anyone who has been to Athens will know the theatre of Dionysos at the foot of the Acropolis ; any Hellenist knows that the dramatics competitions took place during the festivals of Dionysos, the Dionysies. The link between the god and theatrical performances is thus clearly established.
Although it is easy to bring together the satirical drama, the dithyramb and the comedy of the cult – the dionysian cortčge, the connection between this very cult and the origin of Greek tragedy gives the opportunity for the emergence of diverging and even contradictory interpretations.
The Theater of Dionysos in Athens could seat approximately 15 thousand in simple stone benches on the slope of the Acropolis. The seats partially surround the orchęstra, which is a dancing area of packed earth, about 20m in diameter. This is where the chorus spends most of its time. In its center is the altar of Dionysos (about 1m high). On either side of orchęstra is an entry path (eisodos), used both by the audience to get to its seats and by the chorus for its entries and exits. Some scholars think that there was a small stage (8X3m., 1m high) between the orchęstra and skęnę (not shown on diagram); it would have steps down to the orchęstra.
The enormous dimensions of the Theatre of Dionysos, on the southeastern slope of the Acropolis, give testament to the importance of theatre in the life of the Athenian city-state. The first theatre on this site was a timber affair erected in the 6th century BC. Here goatskin-clad performers sang and danced during the Festival of Great Dionysia. During the golden age of the 5th century, dramas by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Aristophanes were commissioned for the festival. The theatre was reconstructed in stone and marble by Lycurgus between 342 and 326 BC. The auditorium could seat 17,000; of an original 64 tiers of seats, about 20 tiers still survive. The 2nd-century reliefs at the rear of the stage depict the exploits of Dionysos. The two hefty, hunched-up selini were worshippers of the mythical Selinos of the oversized phallus, who charged up mountains in lecherous pursuit of nymphs. He mentored Dionysos – with whatever energy he had leftover.
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