Ancient Greeks Regret Inventing The Theater – But Why?

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Many enjoy going to the theater to watch both old and new plays. Thanks to the ancient Greeks, modern people know what theater is.

round 532 B.C., Thespis, the world's first recognized actor, stepped on the stage, and Greek tragedy was born. It is interesting to note that tragedy, in Greek, means "goat song" because the goat was sacred to the god whom they thus worshiped. The rude songs and dances greatly amused the people.

Left: Greek theater mask, from Greece, 2nd or 1st century BCE. National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Masks used in Ancient Greek theater were huge, exaggerated, and made from perishable materials. These terracotta masks represent favorite characters. Credit: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) - CC BY-SA 4.0 - Right: Greek tragedy mask. 4th cent. B.C. Inv. No. 4640. Archaeological Museum of Piraeus. Credit: George E. Koronaios - CC BY-SA 4.0

As previously discussed on Ancient Pages, the theater played an important role in ancient Greece. The history of the Greek theatre started with festivals held in honor of their gods honoring their gods. A god, Dionysus, was honored with a celebration called "City Dionysia."

Magnificent ruins of ancient theaters have been discovered in many parts of Greece. Undoubtedly, people in ancient Greece appreciated going to large, open-air structures where plays were performed. Yet researchers state that the ancient Greeks regretted inventing theater.

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