Archaeological exhibition under the theme of Ancient Theater
Archaeological exhibition, on the theme of ancient theater, is scheduled by the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens for late 2023. The new exhibition, the title of which will be announced shortly, is the first to be curated by the Museum’s new Scientific Director, Dr Nikolaos Kaltsas.
Subject of the exhibition is ancient drama as an expression of democratic thinking. Sculptures, vases with depictions of scenes from tragedies, small-scale objects relating to the costumes of actors and the cult of Dionysus, god of theatre, will be loaned from museums in Greece and Europe, aspiring to convey to visitors the deeper meaning of ancient drama, as well as its educational and recreational role.
Ancient theatre originally had the form of cultic ritual performances. It was linked with the worship of Dionysus, god of vegetation and fertility. Dionysus was also the God of reversal which led mortals to ecstasy and liberation from daily routine. Within only half a century, talented poets such as Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, inspired by episodes in mythology, composed works structured with a beginning, a plot, and an end, which is the successful definition given to Tragedy by the great philosopher Aristotle. With texts that promoted ideas and approached moral, social and political issues, the dramatists ‘taught’ the spectators, who all attended the theatrical performances for free with no exception, including even slaves. Cornerstone of this freedom of expression is Comedy, the genre expressed primarily by Aristophanes, who, with his satire, commented on stage about the ills of society and the state.
