Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (1.1882-1883)

THE THEATRE OF DIONYSUS.

ful and solid construction ; though at present the wall 20-22 has fallen
a good deal out of line, probably because for centuries it has been
without support, except from the surrounding earth, for a height
varying from five to ten feet. There can be little doubt that these
older walls date from the erection of the first permanent theatre; that
is, from the fifth century before Christ.

The wall 10-11 is the foundation of the scene (07073/77) ;* in front
of this, and connected with it, was the stage (Aoyeiov), supported upon
its outer or northern side by the wall of the hyposcenium (v-rroo-Krjviov).
No remains of any hyposcenium dating from Hellenic times have been
found ; but it is obvious that any such structure must have been re-
moved in Roman times to make room for the larger stage, which,
according to the fashion of the day,f was carried far forward into the
orchestra. The cross-walls, 6-8 and 7-9, are the foundations of the
inner walls of the parascenia (irapao-KrjvLa) ; and, according to Leopold
Julius, 16 and 17 are the foundations of their outer walls.\ Much of
the wall 16 is destroyed ; but its construction is by no means good
enough to put it on a par with such walls as 10-11, 20-22, 6-8, and
7-9. Little can be said with confidence of the wall 17; it is much
destroyed, and has evidently served its day as part of a Roman struc-
ture. I do not believe, therefore, that these walls 16 and 17 are part
of the original Hellenic structure, though they doubtless occupy very
nearly the position of the original walls of the parascenia. All traces
of the front wall of the parascenia are gone, and it is impossible to
say how far both the walls 6-8 and 7-9, with the outer walls corre-
sponding to them, originally extended ; probably, however, they
reached very nearly to the line on which now the little stylobates
with Doric columns stand, at 3 and 4. §

I must confess myself unable to solve the problems presented by
the Piraic-stone walls 12-13, 14, and 15. Julius does not hesitate

* It is interesting to note that the position of wall 10—11 is nearly, if not ex-
actly, in accord with the rules which Vitruvius gives (V. 7. 1) for the position of
the scene in a Greek theatre; that is, if we accept the arc upon which the front
line of the marble chairs is set as the circumference of the orchestra circle.

f See Strack, Das altgriechische Thcatergeb'dude, p. 4 and Plate III. ; also
Donaldson's Theatre of the Greeks, p. 254 ff.

J Zcitsch. f. bildende Kunst, XIII., p. 236.

§ The wall 6-S now extends beyond the line of 3, as in the plan ; but this
could not have been the case in Hellenic times.