Perseus Encyclopedia, Theater

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Theater

Place reserved for assemblies of large numbers of people; the major components were the auditorium, the seating or gathering place, and the orchestra, the place where the action or performance took place.

Description: Most often the location for a theater was chosen by the lay of the land. Theaters were generally constructed to correspond with a natural slope in the land. The slope was used as the seating area, or what is called the theatron, the slant of the land allowed better viewing for the audience. The place at the bottom of the slope was the place reserved for speakers or performers. This area is known as the orchestra and is in most cases a round or nearly circular area. As theaters developed seats were constructed enhancing the slope of the land, the orchestra becomes more regularly circular and other structures were added, such as the skene.

ancient theater at Abae: Paus. 10.35.4

theater at Aegina, worth seeing, resembles the Epidaurian: Paus. 2.29.11

at Aegium: Paus. 7.23.9

at Argos: Paus. 2.20.7

at Athens: Paus. 1.21.1, Paus. 5.12.4, completed by Lycurgus: Paus. 1.29.16

at Corinth: Paus. 2.4.5

at Delphi: Paus. 10.32.1

old theater at Elis: Paus. 6.26.1

theater at Elatea: Paus. 10.34.6

at Epidaurus, built by Polyclitus, well worth seeing, though not so large as theater at Megalopolis: Paus. 2.27.5

theater at Hyampolis: Paus. 10.35.6

at Lilaea: Paus. 10.33.4

at Mantinea: Paus. 8.9.5

at Megalopolis the largest in Greece: Paus. 8.32.1

at Messene: Paus. 4.32.6

at Patrae: Paus. 7.21.6

at Phlius: Paus. 2.13.5

Roman theaters most splendid in world: Paus. 2.27.5

theater at Sicyon: Paus. 2.7.5

at Sparta, built of white marble and worth seeing: Paus. 3.14.1

at Tanagra: Paus. 9.22.2

at Tegea: Paus. 8.49.1

at Thespiae: Paus. 9.27.5

at Tithorea: Paus. 10.32.10

at Troezen: Paus. 2.31.4

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Theater