A researched work I did for Ancient History. I actually kinda enjoyed writing and researching this - I love Greek and Roman history!
Greek Theatre started in around 534BC, when culture was just starting to boom in Greece. Theatre became an important part of Greek society during the 4th century, and through Pericles efforts to please the people by encouraging creativity and culture, it grew through the festival of Dionysus. Playwrights such as Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus and Aristophanes wrote famous plays for the annual festival, and in doing so helped Athens became the cultural city of Greece. Drama was performed at the festival of Dionysa annually, where three playwrights wrote plays to be performed at the theatres and compete in drama competitions. In Athens it was one of the most important religious festivals of the year and was attended by all people whether rich, famous and even the poor. Drama became important in Athens because it allowed people to be creative and express themselves openly, and even the poor could show their opinion on the rich and famous. It allowed people to express their resentment towards the aristocrats without the fear of being trialled or persecuted, while in other cities none of the lower classes were allowed on stage, let alone express their opinion about the aristocrats. Lots of Aristophanes plays mock the aristocrats and was one of the most famous comedians of the time. Athens allowed freedom of speech on the stage and was important not just for entertainment but also for the culture and the expression and views of the people in society.
Most evidence agree that tragedy was first started in around 530 BC, from the famous playwright Thespis, who supposedly transformed the tradition dramatic presentations of the chorus singing to a theatrical play. He became the world’s first actor supposedly and introduced dialogue and masks which later became normal Greek conventions. There is little evidence of how exactly drama began but the Suda Lexicon does state that Thespis ‘might’ have been the first tragic poet. Aristotle claims drama had a different origin though, and that it started by a performance called a dithyramb, or otherwise known as choral singing. Dithyramb was performed by a chorus of 50 men and was an ode to Dionysus. It is clear though that drama came around in the 5ths century, when Thespis lived and before the Persian invasion. Herodotus also states that Egypt had the same ways of celebrating the festival of Dionysus as the Greeks (H.2.48) and that some elements if the festival were ‘borrowed’ by the Greeks from Egypt (H.2.51). Drama evolved through the 5th century and famous playwrights such as Euripides and Sophocles innovated many of the dramatic conventions used today.
Four of the most important playwrights in Greece were Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes. Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides were tragedians while Aristophanes was the main comedian, writing comedic plays after the evolution of comedy after tragedy. These writers contributed greatly to Greek drama, and introduced a lot of new innovations that shaped drama to what it is today. While Thespis set the basic tone for tragedy, comedy eventually evolved from it and this is where Aristophanes became famous for writing satyrs and comedies mocking the aristocrats. Aeschylus won at Dionysa 18 times and is credited for having being the first playwright to introduce a second actor. With this he expanded the storytelling potential of a play. It is said he also introduced the trilogy – 3 plays with the same plot and theme. Sophocles was also another great tragedian defeating Aeschylus at Dionysa and introduced the 3rd actor. He also reduced the role of the chorus dramatically, which was later reduced more by Euripides. Euripides was a controversial playwright, only winning 5 times because of his non-traditional themes of his plays, including the idea that the gods did not always control the lives of people and that chance was in fact to blame for people’s actions. His plays were definitely less popular than Sophocles and Aeschylus’s but nevertheless he challenged society’s traditional ideas and in doing so could help us in seeing how the beliefs of the people changed during that time. Aristophanes was the most famous comedic writer of the time, when comedy first appeared around 501BC. His comedies mainly focused on making fun of men of all classes and at times aristocrats were targeted. In Athens, he was allowed to express himself with the plays and always attracted large numbers of crowds for his plays. Only a handful of plays survive today and while some of them are based on gods, myth and legend, some of them can be used as historical evidence also, as well as to estimate and values, society and the culture of the society of that time.
Many Greek plays were based on myth and legend with playwrights like Sophocles using myths as a base for his plays. Aeschylus and Sophocles mainly wrote their plays on myths and relationships between the people and the gods, but Euripides plays were a bit more controversial, and less popular. His plays were more realistic and some could be looked at as historical evidence, as to what the people in that time believed in and their values and attitudes and society. Some of his plays question the gods and the role of people in the world, and this could reflect the eventual changes of the values the people in that society. Although his plays were different some people accepted it and it shows the growing acceptance of different ideas in people. Aristophanes, the main comedian wrote mainly about the rich and famous aristocrats including Pericles himself. Not all the plays can be relied on to be that accurate of a person’s life but it can give us an idea as to how the people lived and what they did in society that made them famous. From the plays we can gather a bit about their personalities, and the things that the people believed in as well as a look into the culture of the Greeks.
Drama was definitely one of the most important aspects of Greek culture in the 5th century BC, both religiously, socially and politically. It was part of the most important religious festivals in Athens – the festival of Dionysa and many plays were based on religion and the gods – which shows how important religion was in society. Socially, drama contributed a lot to the freedom of speech of all the people including the poor lower class. Drama enabled people to express themselves openly without the possibility of being brought to trial for saying their opinion on the aristocrats. Politically, drama could also have affected the government, where they encouraged culture and creativity. During Pericles time culture boomed and creativity increased, so much so Pericles even started a fund where poor people’s fees into the Dionysa festival would be paid for by the government. Drama in Athens boosted the culture and as more people supported the festivals, the more they became a part of society and life.
Drama was important in Greece, especially Athens because it provided the vast culture and had the innovations to go on further to become the cultural city of Greece. It was a place where creativity and expression was encouraged, and the plays were always something new and inventive. It helped the economy politically, socially and religiously, and evolved over time in the 5th century to provide us with the basic theatrical conventions we use today, including the scene and the use of dialogue and actors. Drama was an important part of history because it provides us with details of society’s values and culture of that time as well as giving us some of the dramatic techniques we use today in movies and plays.
Slaves were treated differently depending on what they did. Slaves were treated as part of the family and would often take part if rituals and sacrifices. Some of them were lucky and were treated like part of the family. They were always supervised by the women of the house when doing what they were meant to be doing. Slaves were given names by their masters and were seen as the property of the people who bought them. Healthy, submissive slaves could sell on the market for as 10 minae, while the old and stubborn could sell for half a minae. Slaves could do different jobs around the city. Some worked as slaves at home, taking care of the house, or they worked for the government for labour – such as working at the mines at Laurium, or building ships for the navy. Being a labourer meant a dangerous life. Many didn’t live long because the work was hard demand.
Being a domestic helper was much easier and less stressful. You also had a better chance of surviving. You could even buy your way out of slavery if you were lucky and got a kind master. Free slaves were referred to as metics or foreigners. Slaves did have restrictions though, which applied to their everyday life. They were not allowed into some religious sites, or allowed to marry. Male slaves were confined to agricultural and industrial work, while female slaves did many of the household chores which included shopping, cooking and cleaning. Some slave women were sometimes included in religious affairs and took part in ceremonies.
Slaves were definitely an important part of society as they kept the city in order, and were the base of the economy. This can be shown in Sparta, where the slaves or helots are the economic base. Without them, the city would be without the labour needed for everyday life. In Athens, slaves were so important, there were laws in place that protected slaves from cruel masters. Slaves were even part of the police force, on a low level wage. This accelerated the standard of living in Athens, and provided a part of the city that was indispensable. Antiphon states in ‘On the Choreutes’, that if a man kills a slave that has no one to avenge him, the person will be restricted from entering places described by law, and to purify himself in order to ‘avoid disaster’. A large majority of the slave population were not governed by the democratic processes however, even as it became more radical. Aristotle also describes the slave as a part of law of nature – ‘There is a slave or slavery by law as well as by nature.’ He states this in his book ‘The Politics – On Slavery’, that slavery is natural and that it is essential for life. Slaves had no power or status though, and did not own anything. Slaves were referred to as ‘chattels’ which meant that they were the property of someone. City states and gods also owned slaves, and these public slaves performed specialized tasks such as looking for counterfeit money. Unlike the helots in Sparta, Athens slaves hardly revolted as a result of a different mix of races and nationalities.
Slaves were everywhere, also upheld the democratic system of Athens. A man could also lend out slaves to the government, for labour at the mines and the ship makers. Slaves were an integral part of the society, and provided the time lots of upper class Greeks for leisure. In doing so, slaves increased the wealth of the upper class, and pushed the lower class farmers into more poverty. Slavery made the rich richer, and the less fortunate were pushed back down the society. Slavery also contributed to the wealth of the city. Athens itself depended on slaves at the mines and the shipbuilders to help build their economy and fund their naval fleet. Agriculturally, slaves did not help so much in Athens as not much crops were planted there, as a lot of grain was mostly imported. Socially though, they kept up most of the police system and helped to enforce the law, while providing time for the citizens to do things that they wanted to.
If there was a lack of slavery, it would be easy to imagine the effects it would have on the economy as well as the people in the city. Thuc.7.27 is one example of the slave’s immense power in the city, when 20,000 slaves escaped from Athens silver Laurium mines to Sparta. This eventually stopped a lot of revenue going to Athens, and weakened Athens even more after the Sicilian expedition. This effect on the economy shows Athens dependence on the slaves, not just for domestic duties but for cheap labour as well.
Slavery was essential in Greece for the economy and social structure of the place. It helped innovate Greece and urbanize the city states. Slavery was so normal even Aristotle could not imagine life without them in ‘The Politics’. So natural was their place in society they were seen as the ordinary way to get through the day. Slaves increased the rate of growth socially, politically and economically and in doing so increased the wealth of the cities.
Religion affected all people in Greece. Mostly all of the people believed in the gods and mythology we refer to today. One of the most important gods in Greece was Athena, god of Athens, Apollo of Delos and Zeus of Olympia. Much of nature and the surroundings were associated with Greek religion. According to Homeric religion, when a person died, they went to the underworld where Hades, the king of the dead lived. Death involved rituals and sacrifices made to the gods, in relation to the view of what happened to a person after death. The underworld was described as punishment for the wicked and was impenetrable from the living.
Religion was expressed in many different ways including the Panhellenic festivals. The most significant of this was the Olympic Games, where the most important was geld at Olympia in honour of Zeus. The Games continued for 1000 years, and had four different festivals for different gods – the Pythian, Isthmian and Nemean Games. These games were important to not only celebrate athletics, but in honour of their gods.
Religion had a highly important role in influencing people and the Greek culture. It also influenced decision and choices which were even incorporated in battles and wars.
One example of this is the start of the Persian invasion in 490 BC. The battle of Marathon was the first battle of the Persian invasion between the Greeks and Persians. Religion influenced heavily in the role of key states, namely Sparta, who let their beliefs in their god’s control, their choices on the battlefield. Sparta’s absence at the battle of marathon was due to a religious festival, thought to be one in honour of Apollo (H.6.106). When Sparta eventually did arrive they had missed the battle altogether, and the Athenians were left to fight the Persians alone along with the Plateans. Even then religious rites are thought to have delayed the battle, as it took seven days until the battle began, from when the Persians arrived on shore. While they were waiting, sacrifices were made to see when the right time was to attack. From this it can be seen the Greeks depended heavily on the influence of their gods to affect their actions and choices. Thuc.5.30 is another example of the influence of the gods can also be seen, where Corinth blames the gods for not signing the peace treaty with Athens, and having an alliance. The divine intervention Greeks used to account for their actions can be seen everywhere in books such as Thucydides, especially in wars fought during the centuries. During the Sicilian expedition involving Athens, Alicibiades, and the leading politician for the expedition was recalled due to a supposed sacrilegious mockery of the mysteries of Eleusinian as well as the vandalizing of Herms, religious statues that were supposed to ward off infertility and bad luck. The religious Athenians took this as an offence and was so serious Alcibiades had to escape to Sparta. This shows the immense influence religion had over the people then, and that religious mockery was not tolerated and that it played a crucial role in deciding what was to happen in the future. Oracles were also used to tell the future and foresee destiny. Oracles played another role in the Greeks lives, foretelling the future of what had not been yet.
The most important oracle was the one at Delphi – which was sought out for many purposes for war by states such as Athens and Sparta. The Delphic oracle was sought out for the Persian invasion as well as for guidance and help in life. The oracle was considered as a message from the gods that provided ‘divine intervention’. Oracles were sought out during the Persian invasion for guidance and foreseeing into the future. They influenced people’s choices and decisions. Omens were also believed in, and many took it as a sign from the gods that something good/bad was going to happen.
Religion influenced the people greatly, and had a strong hold over the Greeks of that time. Much of their lives were based on religion and their gods, and without it, many of the decisions and choices made that time would have been entirely different. Religion was based heavily on the gods, and without it society would have ben very different.