{"id":1463,"date":"2016-06-25T11:25:22","date_gmt":"2016-06-25T11:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/?p=1463"},"modified":"2017-03-05T19:31:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-05T19:31:11","slug":"rune-frederiksen-elizabeth-r-gebhard-alexander-sokolicek-eds-architecture-ancient-greek-theatre-monographs-danish-institute-volume-17-aarhus-aarhus-university-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/volume-12-no-1-2017\/book-review-volume-12-no-1-2017\/rune-frederiksen-elizabeth-r-gebhard-alexander-sokolicek-eds-architecture-ancient-greek-theatre-monographs-danish-institute-volume-17-aarhus-aarhus-university-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Rune Frederiksen, Elizabeth R. Gebhard & Alexander Sokolicek (eds.), The Architecture of the Ancient Greek Theatre, Monographs of the Danish Institute, Volume 17 (Aarhus: Aarhus University Press and The Danish Institute at Athens, 2015)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t<\/i><\/span> <\/a>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

From early festivals honoring Dionysus staged on a stamped earthen orchestra space surrounded with improvised wooden bleachers, the Greek theatre evolved into one of the most significant architectural forms and civic works in the ancient Greek city.\u00a0 Often crafted into a sloping site to form a natural auditorium or theatron (\u201c<\/em>viewing place\u201d) which allowed the audience to connect with the surrounding landscape, the theatre provided a true \u201cstage\u201d for numerous public engagements:\u00a0 Dramatic performances, festivals and spectacles, political and public assemblies, and more.\u00a0 No Greek city could be considered a true city without a theatre.<\/p>\n

The Architecture of the Ancient Greek Theatre<\/em> publishes twenty-six research papers presented at a two day international conference held in January 2012, which focused specifically on the architecture of the Greek theatre.\u00a0 The intent of the conference, and the resulting papers published here, was to present new material and researches about the history of Greek theatre architecture, particularly \u201c. . . its form and function, from the earliest theatral arrangements through the Classical period and the architectural development in Hellenistic times.\u201d\u00a0 It also includes the impact of Roman theatre traditions and interventions on Greek works during the Imperial period.\u00a0 The papers included in the volume are specifically focused on the architecture of the Greek theatre and its evolution, and \u201c. . . less on its role within the community or the production of plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scholarship presented is rigorous, extensive and deep, ranging from overviews of Greek theatre architecture of various periods, to examination of the development and evolution of specific spatial and building elements of the theatre (e.g., cavea, ikria, koilon, orchestra, parodos, proskenion, and skene), to building and construction methods and processes, and to detailed inspection of specific theatres throughout the Greek world.\u00a0 A number of the theatres under discussion have been recently excavated or undergone a more current re-examination.\u00a0 The editors \u201cIntroduction\u201d outlines the content of the papers while weaving together the current issues and directions in Greek theatre architecture research. \u00a0In addition, several essays propose relevant directions and topics for future research.<\/p>\n

Beginning with Hans Peter Isler\u2019s \u201cStudies on Greek Theatres:\u00a0 History and Prospects\u201d, the first part of the volume examines early Greek theatres, including: \u00a0Christina Papastamati-von Moock\u2019s \u201cThe Wooden Theatre of Dionysos Eleuthereus in Athens:\u00a0 Old Issues, New Research\u201d; Rune Frederiksen\u2019s \u201cEarly Greek Theatre Architecture: Monumentalized Koila Before and After the Invention of the Semicircular Design\u201d; Alexander Sokolicek\u2019s \u201cForm and Function of the Earliest Greek Theatres\u201d; Elizabeth R. Gebhard\u2019s \u201cThe Sunken Orchestra:\u00a0 Its Effects on Greek Theatre Design\u201d; Jean-Charles Moretti and Christine Mauduit\u2019s \u201cThe Greek Vocabulary of Theatrical Architecture\u201d; and Fede Berti and Nicol\u00f2 Masturzo\u2019s (with Manuela Vittori) \u201cNew Studies of the Theatre at Iasos:\u00a0 50 Years since the First Excavation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The evolution and developments of theatre architecture and building elements during the Hellenistic period are well examined in:\u00a0 Martin Hofbauer\u2019s \u201cNew Investigations in the Ephesian Theatre:\u00a0 The Hellenistic Skene\u201d; Chris Hayward and Yannis Lolos\u2019 \u00a0\u201cBuilding the Early Hellenistic Theatre at Sikyon\u201d; Georgios P. Antoniou\u2019s \u201cThe Theatre at Dodona:\u00a0 New Observations on the Architecture of the Cavea\u201d; David Scahill\u2019s \u201cThe Hellenistic Theatre at Corinth:\u00a0 New Implications from Recent Excavations\u201d; Petros Themelis\u2019 (with a contribution on the masons marks by Kleanthis Sidiropoulos) \u201cThe Theatre at Messene:\u00a0 Building Phases and Masons\u2019 Marks\u201d; Christine Wilkening-Aumann\u2019s \u201cThe Hellenistic Theatre in the Sanctuary of Hemithea at Kastabos (Asia Minor):\u00a0 New Evidence and Reconstruction\u201d; Chryssa Karadima, Costas Zambas, Nikos Chatzidakis, Gerasimos Thomas, and Eirini Doudoumi\u2019s \u00a0\u201cThe Ancient Theatre at Maroneia\u201d; Walter Gauss, Rudolfine Smetana, Julia Dorner, Petra Eitzinger, Asuman L\u00e4tzer-Lasar, Manuela Leibetseder, and Maria Trapichler\u2019s \u201cOld and New Observations from the Theatre at Aigeira\u201d; Clemente Marconi and David Scahill\u2019s \u201cThe \u2018South Building\u2019 in the Main Urban Sanctuary of Selinunte:\u00a0 A Theatral Structure?\u201d; Poul Pedersen and Signe Isager\u2019s \u201cThe Theatre at Halikarnassos \u2013 and Some Thoughts on the Origin of the Semicircular Greek Theatre\u201d (with an appendix \u201cThe Inscriptions from the Theatre at Halikarnassos\u201d); and John Richard Green, Craig Barker, and Geoff Stennett\u2019s \u201cThe Hellenistic Phases of the Theatre at Nea Paphos in Cyprus:\u00a0 The Evidence from the Australian Excavations\u201d.<\/p>\n

The impact of Roman architectural intervention on Hellenistic theatres is discussed in Stefan Franz and Valentina Hinz\u2019s \u201cThe Architecture of the Greek Theatre of Apollonia in Illyria (Albania) and its Transformation in Roman Times\u201d; Marco Germani\u2019s \u201cBoeotian Theatres:\u00a0 An Overview of the Regional Architecture\u201d; Valentina di Napoli\u2019s \u201cArchitecture and Romanization:\u00a0 The Transition of Roman Forms in Greek Theatres of the Augustan Age\u201d; Arzu \u00d6zt\u00fcrk\u2019s \u201cWas D\u00f6rpfeld Right?\u00a0 Some Observations on the Development of the Raised Stage in Asia Minor\u201d; Nathalie de Chaisemartin\u2019s \u201cThe Carian Theatre in Aphrodisias:\u00a0 A Hybrid Building\u201d; Katja Piesker\u2019s \u201c\u2019Traditional\u2019 Elements in the Roman Redesign of the Hellenistic Theatre in Patara, Turkey\u201d; Gudrun Styhler-Aydin\u2019s \u201cThe Hellenistic Theatre of Ephesus:\u00a0 Results of a Recent Architectural Investigation of the Koilon\u201d; and Hans Peter Isler\u2019s \u201cTraditional Hellenistic Elements in the Architecture of Ancient Theaters in Roman Asia Minor\u201d.<\/p>\n

Each of the essays is soundly written, well-illustrated, thoroughly documented, and includes a bibliography referencing all works cited in the piece.\u00a0 The volume concludes with an impressive \u201cThematic Bibliography\u201d that reshuffles all the referenced works into themes that include general and regional studies, specific places and sites, architectural topics and building elements, and specific theatre complexes.<\/p>\n

Without question, The Architecture of the Ancient Greek Theatre<\/em> is an essential, significant and substantial work updating the scholarship and investigations that have recently occurred in the field.\u00a0 As a volume its assists in our understanding the current state of scholarship and excavation, while informing and clarifying our knowledge of the development and evolution of Greek theatre architecture.\u00a0 While illuminating issues concerning a number of Greek theatres, yet, as a number of essays allude to, there is still more work to be done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A review of the book:\u00a0Rune Frederiksen, Elizabeth R. Gebhard & Alexander Sokolicek (eds.), The Architecture of the Ancient Greek Theatre<\/em>, Monographs of the Danish Institute, Volume 17 (Aarhus:\u00a0 Aarhus University Press and The Danish Institute at Athens, 2015)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1376],"tags":[715,1399],"coauthors":[1100],"class_list":["post-1463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review-volume-12-no-1-2017","tag-architecture","tag-greek-theatre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/444"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1463"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1714,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1463\/revisions\/1714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1463"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nome.unak.is\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}