in venues especially constructed to enable a large
number of viewers to watch the dramas.
In general, the plots of the plays performed in these
venues revolved around stories about gods,
demigods, and heroes, the mythological ancestors
of the Greeks and their kindred tribes, and more
specifically about war, marriage, adultery, the fate
of offspring paying the price for their parents’ mis-
takes, clashes between men and gods, good and
evil, duty and human nature, combined with lots of
social satire, criticism against persons and institu-
tions, or even commentary on contemporary politi-
cal and social situations.
Ancient Greek theatres were not standalone monu-
ments, but were part of a deity’s sanctum and con-
stituted the epicentre of collective acts of worship;
with time, the religious element gradually subsided,
albeit without ever being erased, and viewers saw
the dramas as independent works of art or enter-
tainment, while the venues were also used for poet-
ry and musical competitions, as well as for the
assemblies or councils of the city-state’s citizens.
Architecturally wise, the first ancient Greek theatres
consisted of two parts:
• The “
orchestra
” (which means “dancing place”),
the heart of the theatre, a wide circular area
where the actors, the musicians, and the chorus
T
hese are monuments of a distinctive cultur-
al heritage, architectural masterpieces
amphitheatrically built in natural hollows on
hillsides or cut in cliff faces, harmoniously integrat-
ed in the natural environment, and offering excep-
tional acoustics. Some of these theatres, after the
necessary restoration works, are even used today
for theatrical plays, concerts, and other cultural
events.
-Ancient Greek theatres remind modern visitors the
values the ancient Greek civilization was built
on: democracy, learning, civic education.
-At the same time, the fact that these monumental
areas, especially in Athens, enable visitors to
watch the modern renditions of the works of
ancient playwrights from the very seats that were
occupied almost 2500 years ago by Pericles,
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and others, verifies, in
the best possible manner, the ageless value of
the intellectual pursuits and moral ruminations of
Classical Greeks, as well as the cultural continu-
ity of Greece’s past and present.
Greece of the 5th century BC is the place where
theatre was for the first time given the form in which
it is currently known to Western civilization. This is
the period when the first tragedies and comedies —
some of which have survived till this date— were
performed, for the first time, by “
hypocrites
” (actors)
Trade with Greece
114
Theatre of Dionysus
