Odeon of Herodes Atticus

"Widely known to locals as simply "Herodon", the theatre was built between 160 and 174 AD by the wealthy patron of Athens, Herodes Atticus, as an ode to his late wife Rigilla. This was the third odeon in Athens that was built in a distinctly Roman style, unlike the nearby Dionysus Theatre. With its Roman arches and three-storey stage building, originally the Odeon was partially covered with a wood and tile roof. It was a solid structure, but the masonry was frail. Porous stone blocks were forming the two sides of the walls, while the interior part was filled with rough stones. Gradually, the circular auditorium of 35 rows turned into a semicircle paved with black and white marble. In the upper part, there were archways, and in the lower niches, the statues were set according to the tradition of Roman theatres. Mosaic floors with geometric and linear motifs covered the entrances and staircases to the backstage area. The theatre construction activities were extremely expensive. This is evidenced by ancient records relating mainly to cedar wood used for roofing. It seems that the Odeon with a radius of 38 m did not have any internal supports, since there are no traces of them that have been preserved. This architecture persists even these days that is a huge achievement. The original structure was destroyed in 268 AD during the military raids of the Herulians, who burned and destroyed many buildings in ancient Athens. They were never restored. In the following years, the Odeon was used to strengthen the city. The southern wall of the theatre became a part of the late-Roman wall, rebuilt in the 3rd century AD. And in the 8th century, the high wall of the stage was built into another, the basement of which had surrounded the hill of the Acropolis, called Rizokastro. In 1826, C. Favier invaded the Acropolis from the Odeon. The French philhellene general and his soldiers, during the siege of the Acropolis by the Turks, supplied the besieged Greeks with provisions and gunpowder. The Archaeological society and particularly the archaeologist K. Pittakis held the excavations of the Odeon site in the middle of the 19th century. At that time, the monument was cleared of tons of soil. During the German occupation (1941-1944), the Herod Atticus Odeon hosted performances by the Athens state orchestra, as well as the newly formed Greek national opera with young Maria Callas. Back then, she was known as Maria Kalogeropoulou and was starring in Fidelio's “Beethoven” and Kalomoiris’ “Master Builder”. In the 1950s, the city authorities decided to completely reconstruct the Odeon. The work was completed in 1952-1953. Since then, the old photos of the Herod Atticus Odeon survived. Since 1957, the theatre has been used for artistic events (concerts, performances of ancient drama, etc.), mainly in the context of the Athens festival. The Odeon was chosen as the main venue for the Athens festival and for the Epidaurus festival. The grand opening took place in 1955. In 1973, the famous “Miss Universe” pageant was held here. Today, the Herod Atticus Odeon remains to be one of the main venues for festivals. It hosts a variety of programs: from majestic ballets and arias to ancient Greek tragedies. You will hardly forget the performance that you see in this theatre."

"It is a Roman open air amphitheatre that was built in 161 AD. If you are lucky, you may even be able to catch classical musical performances whilst visiting this newly restored site."

"Concerts & other performances are held at this restored stone theater constructed in 161 CE."