Ancient Greek Theatre and Agonistic Culture

Abstract

This article explores Ancient Greek theatre through the agons, which played an essential role in the culture of Greek society. The history of Greek theatrical performances goes back much further than the emergence of tragedy and comedy as a genre. Therefore, the term Greek theatre in this study refers not only to Classical Greek drama, but also to the whole artistic activity that takes place in the theatre as a venue; in other words, to the Greek mousike. The Greek musical agons were the most crucial element that conveyed this cultural accumulation up to the Roman Imperial Period. This study introduces an overview of the musical agons from the Archaic Period to the Roman Empire. Analyzing the accounts of ancient authors and epigraphic documents together, it is observed that these musical agons were characterized by the ever-changing sociopolitical conditions of each period. 

Keywords

• Greek theatre
• Greek agons
• Artists of Dionysus
• Agones Mousikoi
• Agonistic Inscriptions

Eski Yunan Tiyatrosu ve Agon Kültürü

Abstract

Bu çalışma Eski Yunan tiyatrosunu, bu toplumun kültüründe önemli bir yer edinmiş olan agonlar aracılığıyla ele almaktadır. Yunan teatral performanslarının tarihi tragedya ve komedyanın ortaya çıkışından çok daha eskiye dayanır. Bu bakımdan çalışmada Yunan tiyatrosu ifadesiyle, yalnızca Klasik Yunan dramasına değil, bir mekan olarak tiyatroda gerçekleşen tüm sanatsal aktiviteye, başka bir deyişle Yunan mousike’sine işaret edilmektedir. Bu kültürel birikimi Roma İmparatorluğu Dönemi’ne taşıyan en önemli unsur Yunan müzik agonlarıdır. Çalışmada Arkaik Dönem’den Roma İmparatorluğu Dönemi’ne uzanan süreçte müzik agonlarının panoramik bir görünümü sunulmaktadır. Konuyla ilgili Antik Çağ yazarlarının aktarımları ve epigrafik belgeler birlikte incelendiğinde söz konusu agonların her dönemin değişen sosyo-politik koşullarıyla şekil aldığı anlaşılmaktadır. 

Keywords

• Yunan Tiyatrosu
• Yunan Agonları
• Dionysos Sanatçıları
• agones mousikoi
• agonistik yazıtlar

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