Theatre and dramatic culture first emerged in ancient Athens around 700BC, yet the culture flourished in the 5th century BC, when the festival of Dionysia - in which the god of wine and ecstasy, Dionysus, was idolised and celebrated - was formalised. The festival's chief events were performances of tragedies from 532BC and comedies from 487BC. It is through Dionysus' increase in popularity that we see the rise in distinctive ancient theatres, from those at Delphi and Epidaurus (which was famed for its amazing acoustics) all the way to the majestic Theatre of Syracuse (which was heralded in the 2nd century BC as the greatest theatre in the world and the birthplace of comedy). Several traditions manifested themselves in Greek theatre, such as the use of ornately decorated masks, from where we get the two-masked icon of drama, as well as more complex stage machinery like cranes, which enabled actors to fly, and trap doors for dramatic entrances and exits from the stage.
