Hey, Gang, Let's Put On a Show! Thespis and the Origins of Greek Tragedy

The Athenian tyrant Pisistratus centralized the Attic worship of Dionysus with an elaborate new festival. The Great Dionysia went on to become the city’s main dramatic festival, where later giants like Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides would compete for top honors. In this episode, host Scott Emmons explores the obscure origins of tragedy and the role of the legendary Thespis in creating Greek drama.  There are few if any confirmed depictions of Thespis in ancient Greek art, but supplemental visuals for this episode are available at epicgreekhistory.substack.com. (https://epicgreekhistory.substack.com...) Reading Suggestions:  Aristotle, Poetics 1449a Albin Lesky, A History of Greek Literature pp. 223-229 John J. Winkler and Froma I. Zeitlin, eds., Nothing to Do with Dionysos? Athenian Drama in its Social Context Carnes Lord, “Aristotle’s History of Poetry,” Transactions of the American Philological Association vol. 104 (1974) pp. 195-229 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2936090) Support the show (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2517742/su...)