Hellenistic theater Dion

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The Hellenistic Theater of Dion

The Hellenistic Theater Dion is the largest structure in the Archaeological Park in Dion . It is located in the south of the village and is often used in summer for performances of the Olympus festival .

location

The theater is located about 180 meters south of the entrance to the Archaeological Park in Dion and about 400 meters southeast of the Demeter sanctuary.

Construction

Concert in Dion as part of the Olympos Festival

The shape of the theater corresponds to the typical Hellenistic architecture . It is an open-air theater that was built to the northeast on the slope of a low natural (partially raised) hill. The Orchestra was built on rammed earth and was surrounded by drainage that drained the rainwater. The drainage is uncovered; the actors could cross it via two bridges. The Orchestra has a diameter of around 26 meters. The stage was probably made of wood and was then a little higher than the current stage. Below the orchestra ran an underground corridor that connected two rooms.

The type of seats in the auditorium, the cavea, was unique in Hellenistic theaters; the semicircular rows of seats were covered with 50 by 50 by 7 centimeters large adobe bricks, the seats were half a brick width high. Even before the beginning of the Roman period, the seats were covered with marble. The current form of the theater is the result of a modern reconstruction on the ancient foundations. The rows of seats in the spectator area are now covered with wooden boards.

The gable of the theater building was decorated with Doric beams; the roof was tiled in the laconic style.

history

The Hellenistic Theater of Dion

The theater was built during the Hellenistic period, probably during the reign of King Philip V , built. In the same place there was previously a theater, which was probably built when the Aetolians invaded around 220 BC. Was destroyed. Philip V had the city of Dion, the shrines and the theater rebuilt immediately. A large number of Philip V coins were found inside the structure. In Roman times (from 168 BC) useful building materials from the theater were removed and a Roman theater was built near the Zeus sanctuary.

King Archelaus held a nine -day festival in Dion in honor of the nine Pieric Muses , which also included theater competitions. He invited Euripides to Dion, who wrote the dramas Archelaus and The Bacchae there . Both pieces were very likely performed in Dion as well.

After all renovations were completed, the theater has been used regularly for the Olympus Festival since 1991.

Excavation history

The theater was discovered in 1806 by the English explorer William M. Leake . In 1855 the find was confirmed by the French archaeologist Léon Heuzey . The first test excavations were carried out in 1970 under the direction of G. Bakalakis. Regular excavation work began in 1973 under the direction of Dimitrios Pandermalis . After the work had been suspended for two years, it was resumed by the architect and archaeologist G. Karadedos in 1977. Since the building received no further attention in the Roman period, its basic structure was no longer changed. The excavations were carried out very carefully; in this way valuable information was obtained that allowed conclusions to be drawn about the original condition of the complex. The orchestra, the stage, the drainage, parts of the theater building and the main part of the cavea were found. After the excavations were completed in 1988, Karadedos carried out a study on the conservation, promotion and reopening of the Hellenistic Theater of Dion .

literature

  • William Martin Leake : Travels in Northern Greece. Volume 3. J. Rodwell, London 1835, p. 409 ( digitized version; in English).
  • Dimitrios Pandermalis : Dion. The Archaeological Site and Museum. Adam Editions, Athens 1997 (in English).
  • Dimitrios Pandermalis (Ed.): Gods and Mortals at Olympus. Ancient Dion, City of Zeus. Exhibition catalog 2016. Hellenic Republic, Ministry of culture and sports / Onassis Foundation USA, Athens / New York 2016, ISBN 978-0-9906142-2-7 (in English).

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Aerial view of the ancient theater. Retrieved January 25, 2018 .
  2. ↑ The Hellenistic Theater of Ancient Dion. Retrieved January 29, 2018 .
  3. ^ Ministry of Culture and Sports, Ancient Theater of Dion (in English). Retrieved January 28, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Diodorus XVII, 16, 3-4

Coordinates: 40 ° 10 ′ 20 ″  N , 22 ° 29 ′ 31 ″  E