Greece 18: Athens - Approaching The Acropolis

 

"Acropolis" means the highest point in a city, so several Greek cities have one, although sometimes they contain the name of the city (e.g. Acrocorinth).  

As we approached the famous one in Athens we passed the Theatre of Dionysus and our guide said casually: "This is the theatre."

Took me a moment to grasp what she meant. Oedipus Rex premiered right here.  The Oresteia had its opening night (well, afternoon) on this spot.  Athenians sat on these stone seats to watch  Lysistrata, Aristophanes' satire on sex and war.

In other words, everything the Western world thinks of as drama started in this very space.  Made me shiver.

It is interesting to remember that those drama festivals were competitions.  Each year the man who paid for the production of the winning play would put up a monument boasting of the fact.  Unfortunately for scholars all that was included was the man's name and the year.  Petty details like the author and title of the play were not deemed important enough to mention.  It seems like theatrical producers haven't changed much in 2,500 years.

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is another theatre near the Acropolis in Athens. Unlike the Theatre of Dionysus this one still features live events.

This is the propylea, the entrance to the Acropolis.  Nowadays it is surrounded by a protective shell of tourists taking selfies.  

Actually, there were several plainclothes security people, acting like lifeguards.  They blew whistles and yelled at anyone who stepped into forbidden zones.

Next Stop: Athens - The Parthenon