In its original form, it had a cedar roof and a three-storey facade of arches. Herodes, originally from Marathon, inherited a vast fortune when his father died. 1st Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, 2-4 Makrygianni Street, Athens. It lasted intact until it was destroyed and left in ruins by the Heruli in 267 AD. This consisted of a central block with two separate wings. However, on approaching the Acropolis for a visit to the Parthenon, or the Dionysos Theatre, one will almost certainly make a brief stop here, and admire the theatre and its dominating and inspiring appearance. It can seat up to 5000 spectators. A wealthy scion of a notable Athenian family and a major benefactor of the city, Herod adorned Athens with a monument that has been admired since antiquity. When was it built A typical Roman theatre, it was completed in 161 AD. His designs employ marble on a broad, monumental scale, with irregular flights of steps leading from the level of today’s Dionysiou Areopagitou Street to the area in front of the entrance to the Herodeon. The Herodeon in the modern era Having won its independence from the Turks, the nascent Greek State’s need to bolster its identity led to it embracing the concept of historical continuity as a means of linking the ancient Greek past with the present. Theatre of Epidaurus. The theatre was actually built as a memorial to his wife, Regillas, who died in 160 A.D. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus was first built with walls sheathed in marble with a seating capacity of over 5,000 spectators. All Rights Reserved Description of the building A typical Roman odeon, large and exceptionally well-appointed, it was primarily used as a music venue. It was used as a venue for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000. The structure was used as a theater in ancient Athens for various plays and music concerts, and it could seat up to 5,000 people. and if you can only imagine seeing a show at the top of King have performed there, The ancient Roman style venue had a beautiful cedar roof , which was probably the most surprising aspect of the concert hall, now non-existing. Nonetheless, the Odeon of Herodes theater in ancient Athens was impressive in its original day, and what has been restored and renovated still serves as a primary performance venue for the city. A brief archaeological timeline When Pausanias visited Athens during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, he described the Herodeon as “the finest building of its type”. The Athens Festival is part of the Hellenic Festival, The benches were also made of white marble and had mosaic floors . an evening show, you might consider heading to the nearby The current entrance was built as part of the general reconstruction of the area around the Acropolis in line with detailed designs drawn up by the architect Dimitris Pikionis. This is probably the building which, according to Aristophanes, was used for judicial purposes, for the distribution of corn, and even for the billeting of soldiers. Also called the “Herodeon”, the Athens Odeon of Herode Atticus dates back to 161 AD, when it was built by Herodes Atticus to honor his wife Regilla, who had passed away a year earlier. It was built between 160 and 174 BC by the immensely wealthy Herodes Atticus, a philosopher from an old Athenian family, in memory of his wife Regilla. Like the stage, the audience section of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus had to be renovated, and the restorations were done in marble. a hill overlooking Athens, the idea can be quite captivating. Check all of our tours in Athens, here. and the Little Theatre of Epidaurus also hold performances More specifically, the first three decades of the institution opened up an irreplaceable, and thus priceless for its time, channel of communication between the Athenian public and the cultural scene of the West, giving Greek artists the opportunity to distinguish themselves internationally. The oldest known odeon in Greece was the Skias at Sparta, so-called from its resemblance to the top of an umbrella, said to have been erected by Theodorus of Samos (600 B.C.). In 1955, the Herodeon had a great opening event and then it was open again for the amusement of the public. The theatre itself is a visually beautiful one, consisting of a three-storey stage building. Also in Athe… © a concert or theatrical play in a 2,000 year old theater Unfortunately, the Herodeon was destroyed by a fire during the invasion of the Erouloi in 268 BC, less than a century after it was completed. The building was completed in 161 AD and then renovated in 1950.