Theatre of Dionysus

 It takes up the southeastern slope of the Acropolis and it can be accessed from the pedestrian walk of Dionisiou Areopagitou Street or by metro (make sure you get off at metro stop ‘Acropolis’). The area it was built in was a place of worship dedicated to the cult of Dionysus in the 6th century B.C., protector of the dramatic arts. The ancient drama in those days had not yet settled into a standardized form like it has today, and the performances used to take place in a specially modified space near the Ancient Agora. During the 5th century there was a special circular spot set up for the audience near the temple of Dionysus. However the monumental theater one sees today was built in the 4th century B.C. and was part of the construction program of the orator and politician Lycourgos (330 B.C.).

The officials’ seats were located in the first two rows, same as in contemporary theaters. During the second century B.C. those seats were replaced by marble thrones that were intended for the sacerdocy and the high priest of Dionysus Eleutherios, who occupied the most honorable seat of all. We can trace six different construction phases within the theater, which the wealthier citizens and emperors never seemed to stop embellishing. During the years of the Roman domination the proscenium was extended and decorated with relief representations preserved to this day. The theater could seat up to 16.000 spectators. 

  Even though the Theater of Dionysus was used for Dionysian rituals and dramas, it is more famous for hosting functions of social character rather than anything else. During the 4th century the meetings of the Ecclesiae of the Demos (previously held in Pnyka) were moved there too because of the theatre’s great capacity. During the Roman period it even hosted hunts, mock naval battles, gladiator fights and spectacles that had nothing to do with the sacred institution of the ancient drama.