Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.
To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to upgrade your browser.
2013, H. Roisman (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Greek Tragedy.
Although the ancient Macedonians had no independent dramatic tradition of their own, from the late fifth century onwards successive Macedonian kings began to sponsor Greek theater productions and professionals with real enthusiasm. Indeed, their patronage was crucial to the post-classical development of the ancient theater into a more international performance.
Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC, ed. by E. Csapo, H. R. Goette, J. R. Green, and P. Wilson
Cooking Up Rhesus: Literary Imitation and Its Consumers2014 •
E. Csapo, H.R. Goette, J.R. Green, & P.J. Wilson (eds.), Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC.
‘Philippus in acie tutior quam in theatro fuit…’ (Curtius 9.6.25). The Macedonian Kings and Greek Theatre2014 •
A Cultural History of Tragedy in Antiquity
Sites of Performance and Circulation, in A Cultural History of Tragedy in Antiquity, ed. Emily Wilson (Bloomsbury 2019), 35-482019 •
In the recent years, attention paid to the spread of Athenian drama outside Attica led some scholars to examine the case of the Macedonian kingdom. In attempting to judge the validity of their conclusions – Philip II and Alexander the Great profoundly transformed theatrical activity by detaching it from its religious roots for the first time - I decided to focus on Alexander’s use of drama during his oriental expedition (334-323). First, I tried to determine, as precisely as possible, the number of dramatic contests or performances he initiated, in order to describe the context of each of them, and study their own organization. As we know nothing of the plays produced along Alexander’s conquests, neither their names, with one exception: a “small” satyr drama (dramation) entitled Agen, which survived in a few verses, I made use of this source as a basis for considering the nature of the plays that could have been set up at the travelling royal court. Relying on the collected data, the conclusions, and the hypotheses supported by such information, I tried then to explain the monarch’s deep interest in drama, but also its increase and transformation as his kingdom expanded. Two different periods, at the beginning and at the end of his conquests, are to be distinguished in Alexander’s utilization of theatre. From 333 to March/April 331, the king set up dramatic contests in order to compete with Athens and to be viewed as the new champion of Greek theatrical activity and culture. In the second time period, which coincides with the conqueror’s return from India, theatre becomes a vehicle for highlighting the image of the sovereign as a New Dionysus, endowed with all the qualities attributed to the god. The staging of the satyr play Agen in such a context is particularly telling, this dramatic genre being the most intimately linked with Dionysus. Consequently, if there were innovations in the theatrical practice during Alexander’s lifetime, they were certainly not based on the disappearance of the pre-existing connections of scenic contests with the cult of divinities or heroes. All of those we know to have been decreed by Alexander were indeed held after victory and preceded by sacrifice(s). At the itinerant court of the Macedonian king, dramatic competitions more than ever played a role that was every bit as political as it was cultural and religious. The true innovations actually were, on the one hand, the birth of the royal Dionysism which created the ideological link between victory, theatre, and monarchic power; and on the other hand, the introduction of actor’s performances in festive contexts, like banquets - that previously enjoyed the sole participation of musicians, jugglers, and such entertainers.
The Journal of Hellenic Studies
Rhesus Revisited: the Case for a Fourth-Century Macedonian Context2009 •
1999 •
1999 •
Much has changed in the time between Alexander the Great and our modern society, yet the fundamentals of athletics and competition have maintained a similar relevance over the millenia. Due to biases from ancient authors and many modern scholars, not a large amount of archaeological attention has been directed to the topic of Macedonian athletics. A lack of physical evidence has induced either guesswork or an avoidance of scholarship altogether. Additionally, the agones from King Philip II and Alexander III's careers have been treated as isolated events and not as phenomena related to politics, the military, and cultural identity. This work will implement an interdisciplinary approach in order to incorporate data from physical remains and analyze the symbolic communication of ancient sports in this specific time period. Though it may be impossible to fully comprehend the complete extent to which athletics contributed to Macedonia's pursuit of Greek identity, I believe that this course of study is a new academic route to understanding the impact of the agones on larger societal issues and the transmission of Greek culture over time and space.
Loading Preview
Sorry, preview is currently unavailable. You can download the paper by clicking the button above.
Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century B.C.
The Archaeology of the 'Rural' Dionysia in Attica2014 •
Theater Outside Athens, edited by K. Bosher.
“A Prolegomenon to Performance in the West.”2012 •
Department of Philology, University of Patras (Conference & Cultural Center, Room I 10), 28th June - 1st July
Mythical History and Historical Myth: Blurred Boundaries in Antiquity (2019)STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF ART
The Cultural Politics of Public Spectacle in Rome and the Greek East, 167-166 BCE1997 •
in M. Cropp, K. Lee, and D. Sansone, eds., Euripides and Tragic Theatre in the Late Fifth Century (Illinois Classical Studies 24-25 [1999-2000]) 399-426.
Later Euripidean Music1999 •
R.F. Kennedy (ed.), Brill's Companion to the Reception of Aeschylus
The Reception of Aeschylus in Sicily2017 •
Oxford Bibliographies in Classics
The Tragic Chorus - Oxford Bibliographies in Classics (with Luigi Battezzato)2016 •