Athens & Around - Greece - page 133

During the golden age in the 5th century BC, the annual festival was one of the state's
major events. Politicians sponsored dramas by writers such as Aeschylus, Sophocles and
Euripides, with some light relief provided by the bawdy comedies of Aristophanes.
People came from all over Attica, with their expenses met by the state.
The theatre was reconstructed in stone and marble by Lycurgus between 342 BC and
326 BC, with a seating capacity of 17,000 spread over 64 tiers, of which about 20 sur-
vive. Apart from the front row, the seats were built of Piraeus limestone and were occu-
pied by ordinary citizens, although women were confined to the back rows. The front
row's 67 Pentelic marble thrones were reserved for festival officials and important
priests. The grandest one in the centre, with lions' paws, was reserved for the Priest of
Dionysos, who sat shaded from the sun under a canopy.
In Roman times, the theatre was used for state events and performances.
The 2nd-century-BC reliefs at the rear of the stage depict the exploits of Dionysos.
The two hefty men (who still have their heads) are selini , worshippers of the mythical
Selinos, the debauched father of the satyrs, whose favourite pastime was charging up
mountains with his oversized phallus in lecherous pursuit of nymphs.