GREEK - the city dionysia

origins of the festival; officials; sacrifice; the programme; the participants

When was it founded?

6th century BC

Why did the people of Eleutherae want to ally with Athens?

they both hated the Thebans, and they wanted Athenian citizenship

What did the Eleutherans bring with them to Athens?

a wooden statue from their temple of Dionysus

What did the Athenians do with the gift from the Eleutherans?

rejected it

Why did the Athenians eventually accept it?

a plague arrived, affecting the men’s genitalia, which they saw as a sign that they had angered Dionysus

What happened after they had accepted Dionysus?

the men were cured

How long was the festival?

5 days

When was it held, and why?

mid March, because both Spring and Dionysus were associated with rebirth

Where was the sanctuary of Dionysus?

the south side of the Acropolis

Who was the eponymous archon?

elected official who picked 5 comic and 3 tragic playwrights

Who was the choregos?

the wealthy Athenian sponsor who pays for the costume, sets, salaries + training costs

How many plays were there of each type?

5 comedies, 9 tragedies, and 3 satyr

What happened the night before the festival?

the pompe

What was the pompe?

the procession which started the festival

• street party

• alot of wine

• singing

• only men

Where was the statue kept, and why?

in the theatre, to symbolise the god's presence and remind spectators of the purpose of the festival

What happened on day 1?

1. pompe

2. dithyrambic contests

3. komos

What was the dithyramb?

a choral dance with 100 people in honour of Dionysus

What was the komos?

what would men bring?

big drunken revel, men would bring leather phalluses for Dionysus

What did the komos celebrate?

Dionysus as a god of fertility

What happened on day 2?

opening ceremony and 5 comedies

What did the priest of Dionysus sacrifice in the opening ceremony?

a piglet

What was the ticket price for the plays?

2 obols

What did the Theoric Fund do?

paid the tickets for the poor

Who got most of the seats in the theatre?

male citizens

Who got the very best seats in the theatre?

• the priest of Dionysus

• 500 members of the council

• Ephebes (military cadets)

• generals

• magistrates

What were the 3 main themes of comedy?

war, politics, and social life

Give three ways in which societal roles were changed in the plays

slaves acted superior to their masters, women controlled men, and politicians were openly mocked

Who was the only known comic playwright?

Aristophanes

What happened on days 3 and 4?

Three tragedies and a satyr play on each

What were the tragedies inspired by?

well known historical and mythical events

What were the 2 main themes of tragedy?

human suffering and questions about human nature

Who were the 3 greatest tragic playwrights?

Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides

What was a satyr play?

A play intended as comic relief from the tragedies

When was a satyr play performed?

between the second and third tragedy on each day

What was the theme of satyr plays?

myth and slapstick comedy

What happened on day 5?

three more tragedies, a satyr play, the judging, and prize

How were the judges picked?

• before the festival, each tribe put some names of its citizens into a sealed urn.

• One name was chosen at random from each urn, these ten citizens were installed as judges.