The City Dionysia Flashcards
What did the archon have to do the summer before the festival?
Had to select playwrights to write the plays for the festival.
How many of each did the archon choose?
Three tragic playwrights, who each wrote three tragedies and a satyr-play and three comic writers, who each wrote a single comedy.
Who was the playwright funded by?
A wealthy citizen known as a choregos.
What did the choregos do?
Paid for things like costumes, special effects and props. He was the supervisor and financial backer of a set of plays and so his input was vital to their success.
When did the torch light procession happen?
The night before the festival began.
What happened in the torchlight procession?
A wooden statue of Dionysus was led into the city from outside the walls.
Whose escorted the statue?
It was escorted by the city’s military cadets and led into the theatre, where it remained for the rest of the festival.
On the first day of the festival what happened?
Another grand procession, in which many animals were led to the temple of Dionysus and sacrificed.
What did each day begin with?
Three tragedies and a satyr-play, all from the same playwright.
After lunch what happened?
One of the comic plays was put on.
Before plays started on the second day what happened?
There was a magnificent opening ceremony in the theatre. During this, all the money paid to Athens in tax by its allies was displayed in the theatre, while orphaned boys whose fathers had died fighting for the city paraded in. Individual citizens who had done great deeds for the city were also awarded prizes.
Before the festival began what preparations were done for the judging?
Each tribe put some names of its citizens into a sealed urn.
At the beginning of the festival what was done with the voting?
One name was chosen from random from each of the ten urns. These ten citizens were then installed as judges.
On the fifth day how did judging begin?
Each judge wrote down the names of the playwrights in order of merit on a tablet. The ten tablets were then placed in an urn.
How was the winner declared?
The archon drew out five of the ten tablets at random. The playwright with the most votes was declared the winner.
