The Astronomical Orientation of Ancient Greek Theatres in Relation to the Topography and the Greek Mythology

George Pantazis

doi:10.13189/cea.2017.050504

Abstract

The study of the astronomical orientation of monuments in Greece has been strengthened over the last decade by the development and application of contemporary methods of measurement and analysis. The study has highlighted important findings related to monuments from the Antiquity up to the modern era. This study includes monuments of the classical antiquity, early Christian basilicas, Byzantine temples and mosques. However, an equally important Monument category is the ancient theatres. These monuments due to both their size and usefulness became the subject of study in this paper. This paper presents the results of a systematic research concerning the determination of the astronomical orientation of six ancient theatres in Greece. At the same time, the interpretation of their orientation and their possible relation to the mythology, the position and movement of constellations and the topography of their site is also studied. The geometric data produced with modern accurate methods of measurement and analysis certainly contributes to a more thorough study and interpretation of the placement and orientation of such large ancient constructions. This systematic research is carried out for six of the most important theatres in Greece. These are the ancient theatres of Dionysus, Delphi, Epidaurus, Ancient Epidaurus, Argos and Sicyon.

Highlights

It is known that Archaeoastronomy is the science, which studies the interpretation of the orientation of the monuments
In its original form, around the 6th century BC, the ancient theatre consisted of a circular space, the orchestra, which was placed on a flattened space at the foot of a hill and the slope which was used as the place where the audience sat
The purpose of this paper is the investigation of the astronomical orientation of six ancient Greek theatres, Dionysus, Epidaurus, Ancient Epidaurus, Argos, Sicyon and Delphi

Summary

Introduction

It is known that Archaeoastronomy is the science, which studies the interpretation of the orientation of the monuments. In Greece, systematic research took place dating back to the last decades of the 19th century (1885) thanks to the works of Heinrich Nissen [1], Norman Lockyer [2] and Francis Penrose [3, 4], who studied the orientation of Greek temples in the continental and insular Greece. Along with the evolution of the dithyramb into ancient drama or comedy, the form of the ancient theatre evolves as it is presented in figure 1. In its original form, around the 6th century BC, the ancient theatre consisted of a circular space, the orchestra, which was placed on a flattened space at the foot of a hill and the slope which was used as the place where the audience sat. The last piece embedded in the ancient theatre is the scene, ′′skene′′ [11]

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Conclusion