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Tertiary sourcePhotograph26 October 2015

Theatre of Dionysus on the Southern Slope of the Acropolis

Jebulon · 26 October 2015

A 2015 aerial photograph of the Theatre of Dionysus on the southern slope of the Acropolis in Athens, the site where Sophocles's plays were performed at the Dionysia.

Shows the site on the Acropolis slope where Sophocles's plays were performed at the Dionysia festival.

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Aerial view of the ancient Theatre of Dionysus on the southern slope of the Acropolis in Athens. Semicircular stone tiers of seats curve around a flat circular orchestra floor, with ruined stone foundations and a paved stage area. Cypress and pine trees, grass, and a gravel path surround the site, and visitors walk among the seats.
Jebulon, Theatre of Dionysus, Southern slope of the Acropolis, Athens, 2015. Wikimedia Commons.

About this source

What it is

This is a modern aerial photograph of the Theatre of Dionysus on the southern slope of the Acropolis in Athens. It was taken by Jebulon on 26 October 2015 and is held on Wikimedia Commons. It shows semicircular stone tiers of seats around a flat circular orchestra, ruined stone foundations, a paved stage area, cypress and pine trees, and visitors walking among the seats.

Why it matters

The theatre hosted performances at the Dionysia, the festival where Sophocles's plays were presented. The photograph shows the site as it looks today. It helps students picture the space, but it is a record of the present, not of the ancient festival or the audiences who attended.

Look closer

  • Why might the builders have chosen a curved arrangement of seats around a central floor?
  • Which features in the photo are ancient, and which might be modern paths or restorations?
  • What kinds of evidence would you need to learn what a Sophocles performance was like here?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sophocles on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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