According to ancient tradition, around 534 BC the poet Thespis won the first contest for tragedy at the City Dionysia, the festival of the god Dionysus in Athens, by stepping out of the chorus to speak as a character, thus becoming the first actor, which is why actors are still called thespians. Within a generation, tragic poets such as Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides produced masterpieces for audiences of up to 15,000 in the theatre below the Acropolis. Athenian drama, with tragedy and comedy, shaped the Western theatre. Aeschylus's Oresteia won first prize in 458 BC.
Before and after
- 544 BCEBirth of Sun Tzu
- 543 BCEOrigins of Phanagoria
- c. 539 BCEMaking of the Cyrus cylinder
- 535 BCEBirth of Heraclitus
- c. 535 BCEGreek tragedy is born at the Athenian festival of Dionysus
- 530 BCEConstruction of Tomb of Cyrus the Great
- 530 BCEDeath of Cyrus the Great
- 525 BCEBirth of Aeschylus
- from 525 BCE to 404 BCETwenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt
More in Art, literature & culture
- from c. 776 BCE to 500 CEAncient Olympic Games
- c. 520 BCECarving of the Behistun inscription
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- 2nd century BCEVenus de Milo
- c. 4 BCENativity of Jesus
- June 313 CEEdict of Milan
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 6th century BCE.