Origins The City Dionysia (
Dionysia ta en Astei – Διονύσια τὰ ἐν Ἄστει, also known as the Great Dionysia,
Dionysia ta Megala – Διονύσια τὰ Μεγάλα) was the urban part of the festival. It was established during the
tyranny of
Peisistratus in the 6th century BC due to his recognition of the Cult of Dionysius as a national cult, the promotion of performative arts, and the reformation of the festival. This festival was held probably from the 10th to the 16th of the month
Elaphebolion (the lunar month straddling the vernal equinox, i.e., Mar.-Apr in the solar calendar), three months after the rural Dionysia, probably to celebrate the end of winter and the harvesting of the year's crops. According to tradition, the festival was established after
Eleutherae, a town on the border between Attica and
Boeotia, had chosen to become part of Attica. The Eleuthereans brought a statue of Dionysus to Athens, which was initially rejected by the Athenians. Dionysus then punished the Athenians with a
plague affecting the male
genitalia, which was cured when the Athenians accepted the cult of Dionysus. This was recalled each year by a procession of citizens carrying
phalloi. This story relates to the original founding of the cult of Dionysus in Eleutherae in the 6th century BC, a myth that also involves the rejection, punishment, and acceptance of Dionysus The urban festival was a relatively recent invention. This ceremony fell under the auspices of the
Archons of Athens, rather than the
basileus, to whom religious festivals were given when the office of archon was created in the 7th century BC.
Pompe and Proagon The archon prepared for the City Dionysia as soon as he was elected, by choosing his two
páredroi (πάρεδροι, "reeves", literally: "by the chair") and ten
epimelētai (ἐπιμεληταί, "curators") to help organize the festival. On the first day of the festival, the
pompē ("pomp", "procession") was held, in which citizens,
metics, and representatives from Athenian colonies marched to the
Theatre of Dionysus on the southern slope of the
Acropolis, carrying the wooden statue of Dionysus Eleuthereus, the "leading" or
eisagōgē (εἰσαγωγή, "introduction"). As with the Rural Dionysia, they also carried
phalloi, made of wood or bronze, aloft on poles, and a cart pulled a much larger phallus. Basket-carriers and water and wine-carriers participated in the
pompe here, as in the Rural Dionysia. During the height of the
Athenian Empire in the mid-5th century BC, various gifts and weapons showcasing Athens' strength were carried as well. Also included in the procession were bulls to be sacrificed in the theatre. The most conspicuous members of the procession were the
chorēgoí (χορηγοί, "sponsors", literally: "chorus leaders"), who were dressed in the most expensive and ornate clothing. After the
pompē, the
chorēgoí led their choruses in the
dithyrambic competitions. These were extremely competitive, and the best flute players and celebrity poets (such as
Simonides and
Pindar) offered their musical and lyrical services. After these competitions, the bulls were sacrificed, and a feast was held for all the citizens of Athens. A second procession, the
kōmos (κῶμος), occurred afterwards, which was most likely a drunken
revelry through the streets. The next day, the playwrights announced the titles of the plays to be performed, and judges were selected by lot: the "
proagōn" (προαγών, "pre-contest"). It is unknown where the
proagōn originally took place, but after the mid-5th century BC, it was held in the
Odeon of Pericles on the foot of
Acropolis. The
proagōn was also used to give praise to notable citizens, or often foreigners, who had served Athens in some beneficial way during the year. During the
Peloponnesian War, orphaned children of those who had been killed in battle were also paraded in the Odeon, possibly to honour their fathers. The
proagōn could be used for other announcements as well; in 406 BC the death of the playwright
Euripides was announced there. in Athens where dramatic performances for the Dionysia took place. It is generally considered to be one of the oldest theatres in the world.
Dramatic performances Following the
pompe, the
Theatre of Dionysus was purified by the sacrifice of a bull. According to tradition, the first performance of tragedy at the Dionysia was by the playwright and actor
Thespis (from whom we take the word "
thespian") in 534 BC. His award was reportedly a
goat, a common symbol for Dionysus, and this "prize" possibly suggests the origin of the word "tragedy" (which means "goat-song"). During the fifth century BC, five days of the festival were set aside for performance, though scholars disagree exactly what was presented each day. At least three full days were devoted to tragic plays, and each of three playwrights presented his set of three tragedies and one
satyr play on the successive days. Most of the extant Greek tragedies, including those of
Aeschylus,
Euripides, and
Sophocles, were performed at the
Theatre of Dionysus. The archons,
epimeletai, and judges (
agonothetai – ἀγωνοθἐται) watched from the front row. The other two days of the festival were likely devoted to
dithyrambic contests until 487/6 BC, when comic poets were officially admitted to the
agons and eligible for their own prizes. Each of five comic writers presented a single play (except during the
Peloponnesian War, when only three plays were performed), though it is unknown whether they were performed continuously on one day, or over the course of the five-day festival. Until 449 BC, only dramatic works were awarded prizes in the agon, but after that time, actors also became eligible for recognition. It was considered a great honour to win the comedic prize at the City Dionysia, despite the belief that comedies were of secondary importance. The
Lenaia festival, held earlier in the year, featured comedy more prominently and officially recognized comic performances with prizes in 442 BC. Impressive tragic output continued without pause through the first three quarters of the fourth century BC, and some scholars consider this time a continuation of the
classical period. Though much of the work of this period is either lost or forgotten, it is considered to owe a great debt to the playwright
Euripides. His plays, along with other fifth-century BC writers, were often re-staged during this period. At least one revival was presented each year at City Dionysia. It has been suggested that audiences may have preferred to see well-known plays re-staged, rather than financially support new plays of questionable quality; or alternately, that revivals represented a
nostalgia for the glory of Athens from before the devastation of the
Peloponnesian War. Nevertheless, plays continued to be written and performed until the 2nd century BC, when new works of both comedy and tragedy seem to have been eliminated. After that point drama continued to be produced, but prizes were awarded to wealthy producers and famous actors rather than the long-dead playwrights whose work was being performed. Another procession and celebration was held on the final day, when the judges chose the winners of the tragedy and comedy performances. The winning playwrights were awarded a wreath of
ivy. ==Known winners of the City Dionysia==