Ancient Greek theaters used movable stages on stone tracks

Ancient Greek theaters used movable stages on stone tracks

An ancient storage room and three stone rows discovered at the Messene Theatre in Greece have offered new clues on the complex structures used by thespians 2,000 years ago.

Researchers in Japan say there likely was once a wooden stage at the theatre â€" and, they suspect it may have been equipped with one and two-story stage backgrounds that could be moved in and out of place on wooden wheels.

The discovery bears similarities to structures seen at the Megalopolis and Sparta theatres, and the experts say it lines up with ancient literary accounts of rotating stage devices used in both Greece and Rome.

Researchers in Japan say there likely was once a wooden stage at the theatre â€" and, they suspect it may have been equipped with one- and two-story stage backgrounds that could be moved in and out of place on wooden wheels

MOVABLE STAGES 

In the past, researchers have suggested that the proskenion and skene moved as one along three stone rows.

But, the new investigations suggests this would have been an extremely difficult task.

According to the new investigation, these structures were likely moved as separate pieces, with each having its own two tracks to roll on.

< p class="mol-para-with-font">This suggests that there may originally have been an additional stone track at the site, for a total of four.

Researchers from the History of Western Architecture Laboratory of Kumamoto University discovered the large storage room and three stone rows during an excavation at Messene in 2007.

Further examination of the site, compared with previous discoveries made in Megalopolis and Sparta, suggests that the rows would have been used as tracks for large wheeled structures known as a ‘proskenion’ and a ‘skene.’

The proskenion was a one-story structure that was placed on the stage and served as a background, the researchers explain.

The skene, on the other hand, would have been a two-story structure placed behind the proskenion, acting as a dressing room and another stage background.

In the past, some have suggested that these structures moved as one along three stone rows.

But, the new investigations suggests this would have been an extremely difficult task.

Based on the findings at the other sites, the researchers suspect there may have been an additional stone row, which would have allowed each structure to move separately along its own two tracks.

The proskenion was a one-story structure that was placed on the stage and served as a background, the researchers say. The skene, on the other hand, would have been a two-story structure placed behind the proskenion, acting as a dressing room and another background

An ancient storage room and three stone rows discovered at the Messene Theatre in Greece (pictured) have offered new clues on the complex structures used by thespians 2,000 years ago

‘A large force would have been required to move stage equipment as large as the proskenion and skene,’ said associate professor Ryuichi Yoshitake, who led the research project.

‘In previous studies, there was a theory that the proskenion and skene were simultaneously moved along just three stone rows, but I think it is more logical that the proskenion and skene each had their own set of two stone rows to move along.

‘I came to this conclusion due to the positions of three stone rows and the fact that it would have been quite difficult to move the heavy proskenion and skene together using a single axle with three wooden wheels.’

The researchers say the discovery provides additional evidence that mobile wooden stages were used in the Hellenistic theatres.

The discovery bears similarities to structures seen at the Megalopolis and Sparta theatres, and the experts say it lines up with ancient literary accounts of rotating stage devices used in both Greece and Rome

قالب وردپرس

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: