Odeon of Herodes Atticus
Odeon of Herodes Atticus features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Athens. Give it roughly ~45 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type theater
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Athens Athens guide
About Odeon of Herodes Atticus
A grieving Roman magnate built this roofed marble theatre for his late wife around AD 161, and its restored semicircle still stages Athens's summer festival beneath the Acropolis.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus is a Roman-era odeon, a stone theatre originally built with a roof for musical performances, set into the southwest slope of the Acropolis. It was completed around AD 161, funded by the wealthy Athenian magnate and orator Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla, who died about AD 160. The semicircular auditorium holds 33 rows of marble seats and could seat roughly 5,000 spectators, while its three-storey stone stage-front once rose some 28 metres, much of it still standing today.
The original ceiling was framed from expensive cedar of Lebanon timber. The building was destroyed by the invading Heruli in AD 267 and lay in ruins for centuries. Its seating and orchestra were restored with Pentelic marble in the 1950s, and it now serves as the principal open-air stage of the annual Athens Festival, held roughly from May to October.
Did you know? Odeons differed from open-air theatres in one crucial way: they were roofed. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus was covered by a ceiling of imported cedar of Lebanon, a prized timber, spanning the entire five-thousand-seat auditorium.
How long is a visit to Odeon of Herodes Atticus?
Set aside roughly ~45 min for Odeon of Herodes Atticus. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Odeon of Herodes Atticus worth your time?
Odeon of Herodes Atticus is among the 35 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Athens, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Athens
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Odeon of Herodes Atticus and read more:
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Hear the story of Odeon of Herodes Atticus
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