Amphitheatron

The amphitheatron had a circular or oval plan, with a sloping gallery of seats looking over a central arena. Plays were a form of worship of the god Dionysus, and drama festivals such as the Dionysia in springtime were religious celebrations as well as entertaining. Officially, performances in the amphitheatron were only for men, but records show that some women did attend. Theatre changed during the Hellenistic period and, instead of the earlier grand tragedies, audiences wanted plays that were about their own lives rather than the gods and myth. This new style was a comedy of manners, and the extant fragments of Menander's plays show that they were far more sophisticated than the farcical works of Aristophanes and others. This 'New Comedy' went on to influence the playwrights of Rome.