AESCHYLUS II
— Allen J. Romano, allenjromano@gmail.com
Week 2: Reanimating a Play
Persians
472 BCE
c. 534 BCE
Thespis wins prize for tragedy at City Dionysia
490
First Persian Invasion
484
Aeschylus' first victory
472
Aeschylus' Persians wins first prize (oldest tragedy still surviving to today)
480 - 479
Second Persian invasion; Plataea
470?
Persians re-performed for Hieron in Syracuse
- Laius, Oedipus, Seven Against Thebes, Sphinx
- The Oresteia: Agamemnon, Choephori, Eumenides, Proteus
- Edonoi, Bassaridae, Neoniskoi, Lykurgos
Suspected: -
Egyptians, Suppliants, Danaids, Amymone
-
(Iliad) Myrmidons, Nereids, Phrygians Thalamapoioi
-
(Odyssey) Psychagogoi, Penelope, Ostologoi, Circe
-
(Aethiopis) Cares, Memnon, Psychostasia
-
(Ajax) Decision of Arms, Thracians, Salaminians
-
(Dionysus) Semele, Xantriai, Pentheus, Trophoi
-
(Adrastus) Eleusinians, Argives, Epigonoi, Nemea
-
(Argonauts) Lemnians, Hypsipyle, Kabeiroi, Argo
Trilogies
〞
In [the archonship of] Meno (i.e. 472 BCE), Aeschylus won in tragedy with Phineus, Persians, Glaukos at Potnia, Prometheus (i.e. Firebearer or Unbound)
– Hypothesis to Persians
Themistocles Decree
Troizen
inscribed late 3rd century BCE
(Themistocles: c. 524 - c. 459)
Darius I ("the Great")
Persians in Context
"Darius Vase"
South Italy, c. 340-320 BCE
Fifth Century View of Persia
c. 460 BCE
Persians on Persia
Behistun Inscription, early fifth century BCE
King Darius says: These are the countries which are subject unto me, and by the grace of Ahuramazda I became king of them: Persia [Pârsa], Elam [Ûvja], Babylonia [Bâbiruš], Assyria [Athurâ], Arabia [Arabâya], Egypt [Mudrâya], the countries by the Sea [Tyaiy Drayahyâ], Lydia [Sparda], the Greeks [Yauna (Ionia)], Media [Mâda], Armenia [Armina], Cappadocia [Katpatuka], Parthia [Parthava], Drangiana [Zraka], Aria [Haraiva], Chorasmia [Uvârazmîy], Bactria [Bâxtriš], Sogdia [Suguda], Gandhara [Gadâra], Scythia [Saka], Sattagydia [Thataguš], Arachosia [Harauvatiš] and Maka [Maka]; twenty-three lands in all.
King of the world
proskynesis
