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Ancient Athens in Plaka
the Monument of Lysicrates & Lord Byron

The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens Plaka District Page 2

athens walking tour map 1Evainetos tenure of office was 335-334 BC. And a choragus is a group of actor/singers. Every year a monument was erected to the winner of the dramatic competition in Athens. This monument is the only surviving one.

Women never acted in ancient Greek plays and its not even sure that they were allowed to view them. Of course a 1000 or so years earlier it was the women who ran the show as a Matriarchal Society worshipping the Great Mother. Mary Renault has some great books about it and her theories are as plausible or better than most in my opinion! "The Golden Bough" is a good source too!

In more recent times the Jesuits had a house next to the monument. In 1658 they sold the house to the Capuchins an order of Franciscans monks.

The Capuchins are credited with the introduction of the tomato to Greece and they also provided hospitality to foreign visitors. Chateaubriand visited there in 1806. Later Lord Byron escaped the match making mother of Teresa Maria by moving there and also wrote part of Childe Harold while in residence.

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