"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security is mostly a superstition, it does not exist in nature." -Helen Keller

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Second post in as many days! Well – almost.


Today I’m going to write a little about the Theatre of Dionysus, which is located in a hollow in the south slope of the Athenian Acropolis.
The Theatre of Dionysus was first constructed in the fourth century BC to honor its patron god, Dionysus, during the City of Dionysia festival, which included on-stage performances. But festivals were not the only use of the theatre; dramatic contests were held in the theatre, where famous playwrights such as Euripides, Aristophanes, Sophocles and Aeschylus displayed their work.
As the styles of Greek drama changed, so did the theatre. It went through many phases of construction.  When it was first built, it could seat around 25,000 people, but what is left of it today (which dates back to the time of the Roman Empire) and could seat 17,000 people.
It is believed that the ancient Greek plays that still exist in recorded history were first performed at the theatre, so it truly deserves the epithet “birthplace of drama”.
In 2009 a reconstruction plan on part of the theatre began and is scheduled to be finished by 2015. So right there is an excuse to visit Greece again.

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