The Odeon reconstructed (forget the cheap seats)

Theatre-goers can now take a virtual seat in the original indoor auditorium, Pericles' Odeon in Athens. But they might wish they hadn't bothered. "The sight lines were atrocious and it would have been quite dark," says archaeologist Drew Baker of the University of Warwick, UK. A forest of pillars would have prevented nearly half of the audience from getting any view of the stage.

Baker's team has reconstructed the Odeon from a combination of ancient Greek and Roman writings, archaeological records from the early twentieth century, and advice from modern architects. They used a lot of informed guesswork: a building site now covers the rubble of the auditorium. "It's one of the least-known classical buildings in Athens, and I doubt we'll ever get there again," says Baker. . .

The virtual Odeon is part of the Theatron project to build computer models of historic theatres, from the outdoor amphitheatres of ancient Greece and Rome to twentieth-century spaces such as the Royal Shakespeare Company's original building in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. The computer models are used in research and teaching; subscribers can buy online access.

Posted by David on April 16, 2003 12:49 PM