Editing Culture of Greece (section)

== Arts ==
=== Architecture ===
==== Ancient Greece ====
{{Main|Ancient Greek architecture}}
[[File:Knossos - North Portico 02.jpg|thumb|left|Restored North Entrance with charging bull fresco of the [[Palace of Knossos]] ([[Crete]]), with some Minoan colourful columns]]
The first great ancient Greek civilization were the Minoans, a [[Bronze Age]] [[Aegean civilization]] on [[Crete]] and other [[Aegean Islands]], that flourished from c. 3000 BC to c. 1450 BC and, after a late period of decline, finally ended around 1100 BC during the early [[Greek Dark Ages]]. At the height of their power, they built architecture ranging from city houses and [[Minoan palaces]]. Exemplary of this construction was the palace at [[Knossos]], which was composed of two to three levels, had over 500 rooms, and many terraces with [[portico]]s and stairs. The interior of this palace included monumental reception halls, vast apartments for the queen and bridesmaids, bathtubs with complete sewage and drainage systems, food deposits, shops, theatres, sport arenas, and other amenities. The walls were built of high-quality masonry that was covered with highly decorated [[fresco]]s.

Later, the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean civilization]] erected palatial structures at [[Mycenae]], [[Tiryns]] and [[Pylos]].

[[File:Ναός του Ηφαίστου.jpg|thumb|The [[Temple of Hephaestus]] on the Agoraios Kolonos Hill ([[Athens]], [[Greece]]), circa 449 BC, unknown architect]]
After the [[Greek Dark Ages]], architecture developed into a style that, together with [[Ancient Roman architecture|Roman]], inspired [[Classical architecture]] and later [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]]. Examples of this style were their [[Ancient Greek temple|temples]], such as the [[Parthenon]] and [[Erectheion]] which are both based in the [[Acropolis of Athens]], and theatres. Both temples and theatres used a complex mix of optical illusions and balanced ratios. [[Classical architecture|Classical]] Ancient Greek temples usually consist of a base with stairs at each edges (known as ''[[crepidoma]]''), a [[cella]] (or ''naos'') with a cult statue in it, [[column]]s, an [[entablature]], and two [[pediment]]s, one on the front side and another in the back. By the 4th century BC, Greek architects and stonemasons had developed a system of rules for all buildings known as the [[classical order|orders]]: the [[Doric order|Doric]], the [[Ionic order|Ionic]], and the [[Corinthian order|Corinthian]]. They are most easily recognised by their columns (especially by the [[capital (architecture)|capitals]]). The Doric column is stout and basic, the Ionic one is slimmer and has four [[scroll (art)|scrolls]] (called ''[[volute]]s'') at the corners of the capital, and the Corinthian column is just like the Ionic one, but the capital is completely different, being decorated with [[acanthus (ornament)|acanthus]] leafs and four scrolls.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hodge|first1=Susie|title=The Short Story of Architecture|date=2019|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=978-1-7862-7370-3|page=14|url=|language=en}}</ref>

==== Byzantine Greece ====
{{Main|Byzantine architecture}}Following the relocation of the capital of the Roman Empire to [[Constantinople]] in 330 AD, and the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]] some 150 years later, the architects of the Eastern Roman Empire, or the Byzantine Empire, built city walls, palaces, hippodromes, bridges, [[Aqueduct (bridge)|aqueducts]], and churches. One of the more famous type of church constructed by the Byzantines was the [[basilica]], which was very widespread and received the most development of the churches that were built in the empire. Through modifications and adaptations of local inspiration, the Byzantine style of architecture was used as the main source of inspiration for architectural styles in [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] countries.<ref>{{cite book|last1=George D. Hurmuziadis|title=Cultura Greciei|date=1979|publisher=Editura științifică și enciclopedică|page=89 & 90|language=ro}}</ref> For example, in Romania, the [[Brâncovenesc style]] is highly based on Byzantine architecture, but also has individual Romanian characteristics.[[File:Hosios Loukas Katholikon (nave, South-West squinch) - Baptism 06.jpg|thumb|Mosaic in the [[Hosios Loukas]] ([[Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra]], Greece), circa 10th century AD]]
[[File:Church Theotokos Gorgoepikoos and Agios Eleytherios Athens, Greece.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Little Metropolis]] ([[Athens]]), 9th–13th century, unknown architect]]
As with the [[Parthenon]], which was built in dedication to the [[Ancient Greek religion]], the [[Hagia Sophia]] was considered an iconic church of [[Christianity]]. The temples of both religions differ substantially in terms of their exterior and interior aspect. In Antiquity, the exterior was the most important part of the temple, because in the interior, where the cult statue of the deity to whom the temple was built was kept, only the priest had access. The ceremonies here held outside, and what the worshipers view was the facade of the temple, consisting of columns, with an [[entablature]] and two pediments. Meanwhile, Christian liturgies were held in the interior of the churches, the exterior usually having little to no ornamentation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=George D. Hurmuziadis|title=Cultura Greciei|date=1979|publisher=Editura științifică și enciclopedică|page=92|language=ro}}</ref>

Byzantine architecture often featured marble columns, [[coffer]]ed ceilings and sumptuous decoration, including the extensive use of [[mosaic]]s with golden backgrounds.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hodge|first1=Susie|title=The Short Story of Architecture|date=2019|publisher=Laurence King Publishing|isbn=978-1-7862-7370-3|page=17|url=|language=en}}</ref> The building material used by Byzantine architects was no longer marble, which was highly appreciated and utilised by the Ancient Greeks, instead opting for  mostly stone and brick while using thin [[alabaster]] sheets for windows.<ref>{{cite book|last1=George D. Hurmuziadis|title=Cultura Greciei|date=1979|publisher=Editura științifică și enciclopedică|page=93|language=ro}}</ref>

==== Modern Greece ====
{{Main|Greek Revival architecture|Modern Greek architecture}}
[[File:Griechische Nationalbibliothek (Zuschnitt).jpg|thumb|The [[National Library of Greece]] (Athens), 1888, by [[Theophil Hansen]]]]
After the [[Greek War of Independence|independence]] of Greece and during the nineteenth century, [[Neoclassical architecture]] was heavily used for both public and private buildings.<ref>Manos G. Birēs, Marō Kardamitsē-Adamē, ''Neoclassical architecture in Greece''</ref> The 19th-century architecture of [[Athens]] and other cities of the [[Kingdom of Greece]] is mostly influenced by architects like [[Theophil Hansen]], [[Ernst Ziller]], [[Panagis Kalkos]], [[Lysandros Kaftanzoglou]], [[Anastasios Metaxas]] and [[Stamatios Kleanthis]]. Meanwhile, churches in Greece, on the other hand, experienced a [[Neo-Byzantine]] revival.

In 1933, the [[Athens Charter]], a manifesto of the modernist movement, was signed and published by [[Le Corbusier]]. The primary architects of this movement were: Ioannis Despotopoulos, [[Dimitris Pikionis]], [[Patroklos Karantinos]] and Takis Zenetos. Following [[World War II]], and the [[Greek Civil War]], the massive construction of [[apartment buildings]] in major Greek city centres, was a major contributory factor for the Greek economy and the post-war recovery. The first [[skyscraper]]s were also constructed during the 1960s and 1970s, such as the [[OTE Tower]] and the [[Athens Tower 1|Athens Tower Complex]].

=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Greek cinema}}
[[File:Olympion Cinema Thessaloniki.jpg|thumb|left|Olympion Theatre in [[Thessaloniki]], seat of the [[Thessaloniki International Film Festival]].]]

Cinema first appeared in Greece in 1896, but the first actual cine-theatre was opened in 1907.  In 1914, the ''Asty Films Company'' was founded, which started the production of long films in Greece. ''Golfo'' (Γκόλφω), a well known traditional love story, is the first Greek long movie, although there were several minor productions such as newscasts before this. In 1931, [[Orestis Laskos]] directed ''Daphnis and Chloe'' (''Δάφνις και Χλόη''), contained the first nude scene in the history of European cinema; it was also the first Greek movie which was played abroad. In 1944, [[Katina Paxinou]] was honoured with the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for ''[[For Whom the Bell Tolls (film)|For Whom the Bell Tolls]]''.

The 1950s and early 1960s are considered by many as the Golden age of Greek cinema. Directors and actors of this era were recognized as important historical figures in Greece and some gained international acclaim: [[Michael Cacoyannis]], [[Alekos Sakellarios]], [[Melina Mercouri]], [[Nikos Tsiforos]], [[Iakovos Kambanelis]], [[Katina Paxinou]], [[Nikos Koundouros]], [[Ellie Lambeti]], [[Irene Papas]], etc. More than sixty films per year were made, with the majority having [[film noir]] elements.  Notable films were ''[[The Counterfeit Coin]]'' (''Η κάλπικη λίρα'', 1955, directed by [[Giorgos Tzavellas]]), ''Bitter Bread'' (''Πικρό Ψωμί'', 1951, directed by Grigoris Grigoriou), ''[[The Ogre of Athens]]'' (''O Drakos'', 1956, directed by [[Nikos Koundouros]]), ''[[Stella (1955 film)|Stella]]'' (1955, directed by Cacoyannis and written by Kampanellis). Cacoyannis also directed ''[[Zorba the Greek (film)|Zorba the Greek]]'' with Anthony Quinn which received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations. [[Finos Film]] also contributed to this period with movies such as ''Λατέρνα, Φτώχεια και Φιλότιμο'', ''[[The Auntie from Chicago]]'' (''Η Θεία από το Σικάγο''), ''[[Maiden's Cheek]]'' (''Το ξύλο βγήκε από τον Παράδεισο''), and many more.  During the 1970s and 1980s [[Theo Angelopoulos]] directed a series of notable and appreciated movies. His film ''[[Eternity and a Day]]'' won the [[Palme d'Or]] and the [[Prize of the Ecumenical Jury]] at the [[1998 Cannes Film Festival]].

There were also internationally renowned filmmakers in the Greek diaspora such as the [[Greek Americans|Greek-American]] [[Elia Kazan]].

=== Music and dances ===
{{Main|Music of Greece|Greek dances|Greek musical instruments}}

Greece has a diverse and highly influential musical tradition, with ancient music influencing the [[Roman Empire]], and Byzantine liturgical chants and secular music influencing [[middle eastern music]] and the [[Renaissance]]. Modern Greek music combines these elements, to carry Greeks' interpretation of a wide range of musical forms.

==== Ancient Greece ====
{{Main|Music of ancient Greece}}
[[File:Terracotta kylix (drinking cup) MET DP102241.jpg|thumb|left|Terracotta [[kylix]] that depicts a man holding a [[lyre]], circa 480 BC, in the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York City)]]

The history of music in Greece begins with the music of ancient Greece, largely structured on the [[Lyre]] and other supporting [[string instruments]] of the era. Beyond the well-known structural legacies of the [[Pythagoras|Pythagorean scale]], and the related mathematical developments it upheld to define western classical music, relatively little is understood about the precise character of music during this period; we do know, however, that it left, as so often, a strong mark on the culture of [[Rome]]. What has been gleaned about the social role and character of ancient Greek music comes largely from pottery and other forms of [[Greek art]].

Ancient Greeks believed that dancing was invented by the [[Ancient Greek Religion|gods]] and therefore associated it with religious ceremony. They believed that the gods offered this gift to select mortals only, who in turn taught dancing to their fellow-men.

Periodic evidence in ancient texts indicates that dance was held in high regard, in particular for its educational qualities. Dance, along with writing, music, and physical exercise, was fundamental to the commenced in a circle and ended with the dancers facing one another. When not dancing in a circle the dancers held their hands high or waved them to the left and right.  They held cymbals (very like the zilia of today) or a kerchief in their hands, and their movements were emphasized by their long sleeves. As they danced, they sang, either set songs or extemporized ones, sometimes in unison, sometimes in refrain, repeating the verse sung by the lead dancer. The onlookers joined in, clapping the rhythm or singing. Professional singers, often the [[Byzantine music|musicians]] themselves, composed lyrics to suit the occasion.

==== Byzantine Greece ====
{{main|Byzantine music}}
[[File:Mosaic of the Female Musicians.jpg|thumb|240px|Late 4th century AD "Mosaic of the Musicians" with [[hydraulis]], [[aulos]], and [[lyre]] from a Byzantine villa in [[Maryamin, Hama|Maryamin]], [[Syria]]]]

The [[Byzantine music]] is also of major significance to the history and development of European music, as [[Liturgy|liturgical chants]] became the foundation and stepping stone for music of the Renaissance (see: [[Renaissance Music]]). It is also certain that Byzantine music included an extensive tradition of instrumental court music and dance; any other picture would be both incongruous with the historically and archaeologically documented opulence of the Eastern Roman Empire. There survive a few but explicit accounts of secular music. A characteristic example is the accounts of pneumatic organs, whose construction was further advanced in the eastern empire prior to their development in the west following the Renaissance.

Byzantine instruments included the guitar, single, double or multiple flute, sistrum, timpani (drum), psaltirio, Sirigs, lyre, cymbals, keras and kanonaki.

Popular dances of this period included the ''Syrtos'', ''Geranos'', ''Mantilia'', ''Saximos'', ''Pyrichios'', and ''Kordakas'' . Some of these dances have their origins in the ancient period and are still enacted in some form today.

==== Modern Greece ====
[[File:Filippoulis with Hatzidakis.tif|thumb|160px|left|[[Manos Hatzidakis]] at the left]]
A range of domestically and internationally known composers and performers across the musical spectrum have found success in modern Greece, while traditional [[Greek music]] is noted as a mixture of influences from indigenous culture with those of west and east. A few [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] as well as medieval Italian elements can be heard in the traditional songs, ''dhimotiká'', as well as in the modern [[blues]]y [[rembetika|rembétika]] music. A well-known Greek musical instrument is the [[bouzouki]]. "Bouzouki" is a descriptive Turkish name, but the instrument itself is probably of Greek origin (from the ancient Greek lute known as [[pandoura]], a kind of guitar, clearly visible in ancient statues, especially female figurines of the "Tanagraies" playing cord instruments).

[[File:Mikis Theodorakis Fabrik 070004.jpg|160px|thumb|[[Mikis Theodorakis]], popular composer and songwriter, introduced the [[bouzouki]] into the mainstream culture.]]

Famous Greek musicians and composers of modern era include the central figure of 20th-century European modernism [[Iannis Xenakis]], a composer, architect and theorist. [[Maria Callas]], [[Nikos Skalkottas]], [[Mikis Theodorakis]], [[Dimitris Mitropoulos]], [[Manos Hadjidakis]] and [[Vangelis]] also lead twentieth-century Greek contributions, alongside [[Demis Roussos]], [[Nana Mouskouri]], [[Yanni]], [[Georges Moustaki]], [[Eleni Karaindrou]] and others.

The birth of the first School of modern Greek classical music ([[Ionian School (music)|Heptanesean or Ionian School]], Greek:''Επτανησιακή Σχολή'') came through the [[Ionian Islands]] (notable composers include [[Spyridon Samaras]], [[Nikolaos Mantzaros]] and [[Pavlos Carrer]]), while [[Manolis Kalomiris]] is considered the founder of the ''Greek National School''.

Greece is one of the few places in Europe where the day-to-day role of folk dance is sustained. Rather than functioning as a museum piece preserved only for performances and special events, it is a vivid expression of everyday life. Occasions for dance are usually weddings, family celebrations, and paneyeria (Patron Saints' name days). Dance has its place in ceremonial customs that are still preserved in Greek villages, such as dancing the bride during a wedding and dancing the [[wikt:trousseau|trousseau]] of the bride during the wedding preparations. The [[carnival]] and Easter offer more opportunities for family gatherings and dancing. Greek [[Taverna|taverns]] providing live entertainment often include folk dances in their program.

Regional characteristics have developed over the years because of variances in [[Climate|climatic conditions]], [[Geography of Greece|land morphology]] and people's social lives. ''Kalamatianos'' and ''Syrtos'' are considered Pan-Hellenic dances and are danced all over the world in diaspora communities. Others have also crossed boundaries and are known beyond the regions where they originated; these include the ''Pentozali'' from [[Crete]], ''Hasapiko'' from Constantinople, ''Zonaradikos'' from [[Thrace]], ''Serra'' from [[Pontus (region)|Pontos]] and ''Balos'' from the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean islands]].

The avant-garde choreographer, director and dancer [[Dimitris Papaioannou]] was responsible for the critically successful [[2004 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] of the [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Olympic Games]], with a conception that reflected the classical influences on modern and experimental Greek dance forms.

=== Painting ===

==== Ancient Greece ====
There were several interconnected traditions of painting in ancient Greece. Due to their technical differences, they underwent somewhat differentiated developments. Not all painting techniques are equally well represented in the archaeological record. The most respected form of art, according to authors like [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] or [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], were individual, mobile paintings on wooden boards, technically described as [[panel painting]]s. Also, the tradition of wall painting in Greece goes back at least to the [[Minoan civilization|Minoan]] and [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] [[Bronze Age]], with the lavish fresco decoration of sites like [[Knossos]], [[Tiryns]] and [[Mycenae]].

Much of the figural or architectural sculpture of ancient Greece was painted colourfully. This aspect of Greek stonework is described as [[polychrome]] (from [[Greek language|Greek]] ''πολυχρωμία'', ''πολύ'' = many and ''χρώμα'' = colour). Due to intensive weathering, polychromy on sculpture and architecture has substantially or totally faded in most cases.

==== Byzantine Greece ====
{{main|Byzantine Art|Macedonian art (Byzantine)}}
[[File:Daphni.jpg|thumb|200px|Mosaic from [[Daphni Monastery]] (ca. 1100)]]

Byzantine art is the term created for the [[Eastern Roman Empire]] from about the 5th century AD until the fall of [[Constantinople]] in 1453. The most salient feature of this new aesthetic was its "abstract," or anti-naturalistic character. If classical art was marked by the attempt to create representations that mimicked reality as closely as possible, Byzantine art seems to have abandoned this attempt in favor of a more symbolic approach. The Byzantine painting concentrated mainly on [[icon]]s and [[hagiography|hagiographies]].

==== Post-Byzantine and Modern Greece ====
{{main|Cretan School|Heptanese School (painting)|Modern Greek art}}
[[File:Dormition El Greco.jpg|thumb|160px|''[[Dormition of the Virgin (El Greco)|Dormition of the Virgin]]'' by [[El Greco]], an example of the [[Cretan School]]]]
[[File:Lytras Nikiforos Carols.jpeg|thumb|220px|''Carols'' by [[Nikiforos Lytras]]]]

The term [[Cretan School]] describes an important school of icon painting, also known as Post-Byzantine art, which flourished while [[Crete]] was under [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] rule during the late [[Middle Ages]], reaching its climax after the [[Fall of Constantinople]], becoming the central force in Greek painting during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. The Cretan artists developed a particular style of painting under the influence of both Eastern and Western artistic traditions and movements. The most famous product of the school, [[El Greco]], was the most successful of the many artists who tried to build a career in Western Europe.

The [[Heptanese School (painting)|Heptanese School of painting]] succeeded the Cretan school as the leading school of Greek post-Byzantine painting after Crete fell to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottomans]] in 1669. Like the Cretan school it combined Byzantine traditions with an increasing [[Western European]] artistic influence, and also saw the first significant depiction of secular subjects. The school was based in the [[Ionian islands]], which were not part of Ottoman Greece, from the middle of the 17th century until the middle of the 19th century.

Modern Greek painting, after the [[Greek War of Independence|independence]] and the creation of the modern Greek state, began to be developed around the time of [[Romanticism]] and the Greek artists absorbed many elements from their European colleagues, resulting in the culmination of the distinctive style of Greek Romantic art. Notable painters of the era include [[Nikolaos Gyzis]], [[Georgios Jakobides]], [[Nikiphoros Lytras]], [[Konstantinos Volanakis]] and [[Theodoros Vryzakis]].

=== Sculpture ===

==== Ancient Greece ====
{{see also|Ancient Greek sculpture}}
[[File:ACMA 679 Kore 2.JPG|thumb|160px|''[[Peplos Kore]]'' at the [[Acropolis Museum]]. Relics of the [[polychromy]] are visible.]]

Ancient Greek [[monumental sculpture]] was composed almost entirely of [[marble]] or [[bronze]]; with cast bronze becoming the favoured medium for major works by the early 5th century. Both marble and bronze are fortunately easy to form and very durable. [[Chryselephantine]] sculptures, used for temple [[cult image]]s and luxury works, used [[gold]], most often in [[gold leaf|leaf form]] and [[ivory]] for all or parts (faces and hands) of the figure, and probably gems and other materials, but were much less common, and only fragments have survived.
By the early 19th century, the systematic excavation of ancient Greek sites had brought forth a plethora of sculptures with traces of notably multicolored surfaces. It was not until published findings by German archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann in the late 20th and early 21st century that the painting of ancient Greek sculptures became an established fact. Using high-intensity lamps, [[ultraviolet light]], specially designed cameras, plaster casts, and certain powdered minerals, Brinkmann proved that the entire [[Parthenon]], including the actual structure as well as the statues, had been painted.

==== Byzantine Greece ====
The Byzantines inherited the [[Early Christian art|early Christian]] distrust of [[monumental sculpture]] in religious art, and produced only [[relief]]s, of which very few survivals are anything like life-size, in sharp contrast to the medieval art of the West, where monumental sculpture revived from [[Carolingian art]] onwards.  Small ivories were also mostly in relief.

The so-called "minor arts" were very important in Byzantine art and luxury items, including ivories carved in relief as formal presentation [[Consular diptych]]s or caskets such as the [[Veroli casket]], [[hardstone carving]]s, enamels, jewelry, metalwork, and [[Byzantine silk|figured silks]] were produced in large quantities throughout the Byzantine era. Many of these were religious in nature, although a large number of objects with secular or non-representational decoration were produced: for example, ivories representing themes from classical mythology.  Byzantine ceramics were relatively crude, as pottery was never used at the tables of the rich, who ate off silver.

==== Modern Greece ====
[[File:Δισκοβόλος, Παναθηναϊκό Στάδιο - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|160px|"Discobolus" statue by [[Konstantinos Dimitriadis]], outside the [[Panathenaic Stadium]]]]

After the establishment of the [[Greek Kingdom]] and the western influence of [[Neoclassicism]], sculpture was re-discovered by the Greek artists. Main themes included ancient Greek antiquity, the [[Greek War of Independence|War of Independence]] and important figures of Greek history.

Notable sculptors of the new state were [[Leonidas Drosis]] (his major work was the extensive neo-classical architectural ornament at the [[Academy of Athens (modern)|Academy of Athens]], [[Lazaros Sochos]], [[Georgios Vitalis]], [[Dimitrios Filippotis]], [[Ioannis Kossos]], [[Yannoulis Chalepas]], [[Georgios Bonanos]] and [[Lazaros Fytalis]].

=== Theatre ===

==== Ancient Greece ====
{{main|Theatre of ancient Greece}}
[[File:View from the top 777.jpg|thumb|200px|The ancient theatre of [[Epidaurus]] continues to be used for staging ancient Greek plays.]]

Theatre was born in [[Greece]]. The [[Polis|city-state]] of [[Classical Athens]], which became a significant cultural, political, and military power during this period, was its centre, where it was [[institution]]alised as part of a [[festival]] called the [[Dionysia]], which honoured the god [[Dionysus]]. [[Greek tragedy|Tragedy]] (late 6th century BC), [[Ancient Greek comedy|comedy]] (486 BC), and the [[satyr play]] were the three [[drama]]tic [[genre]]s to emerge there. Athens exported the festival to its numerous colonies and allies in order to promote a common [[cultural identity]].

The word τραγῳδία (''tragoidia''), from which the word "[[tragedy]]" is derived, is a [[compound (linguistics)|compound]] of two [[Greek language|Greek]] words: τράγος (''tragos'') or "goat" and ᾠδή (''[[ode]]'') meaning "song", from ἀείδειν (''aeidein''), "to sing".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m-w.com/dictionary/tragedy|title=Definition of TRAGEDY|website=m-w.com|access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref>
This etymology indicates a link with the practices of the ancient [[Cult of Dionysus|Dionysian cults]]. It is impossible, however, to know with certainty how these [[Fertility rite|fertility rituals]] became the basis for tragedy and [[Ancient Greek comedy|comedy]].<ref name="Redgeway">[[William Ridgeway]], ''Origin of Tragedy with Special Reference to the Greek Tragedians'', p. 83</ref>

==== Middle Ages ====
During the Byzantine period, the theatrical art was heavily declined. According to Marios Ploritis, the only form survived was the folk theatre (''Mimos'' and ''Pantomimos''), despite the hostility of the official state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.24grammata.com/?p=32749|title=24 γράμματα / Πολυχώρος Πολιτισμού στο Χαλάνδρι (Θέατρο – Μουσική – Γκαλερί- Βιβλίο) » Το Θέατρο στο Βυζάντιο και την Οθωμανική περίοδο|website=www.24grammata.com|date=4 October 2012 |access-date=27 March 2018}}</ref> Later, during the Ottoman period, the main theatrical folk art was the ''[[Karagiozis]]''. The renaissance which led to the modern Greek theatre, took place in the [[Venetian Crete]]. Significant dramatists include [[Vitsentzos Kornaros]] and [[Georgios Chortatzis]].

==== Modern Greece ====
{{Main|Modern Greek theatre}}
[[File:PATRAS2006 006 edited.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Apollon Theatre (Patras)]], designed by [[Ernst Ziller]]]]

The modern Greek theatre was born after the [[Greek War of Independence|Greek independence]], in the early 19th century, and initially was influenced by the Heptanesean theatre and melodrama, such as the Italian opera. The [[Nobile Teatro di San Giacomo di Corfù]] was the first theatre and [[opera]] house of modern Greece and the place where the first Greek opera, [[Spyridon Xyndas]]' ''The Parliamentary Candidate'' (based on an exclusively Greek [[libretto]]) was performed. During the late 19th and early 20th century, the Athenian theatre scene was dominated by [[revues]], [[Musical theatre|musical comedies]], [[operettas]] and [[nocturnes]] and notable playwrights included [[Spyridon Samaras]], [[Dionysios Lavrangas]], [[Theophrastos Sakellaridis]] and others.

The [[National Theatre of Greece]] was founded in 1880. Notable playwrights of the modern Greek theatre include [[Alexandros Rizos Rangavis]], [[Gregorios Xenopoulos]], [[Nikos Kazantzakis]], [[Angelos Terzakis]], [[Pantelis Horn]], [[Alekos Sakellarios]] and [[Iakovos Kambanelis]], while notable actors include [[Cybele Andrianou]], [[Marika Kotopouli]], [[Aimilios Veakis]], [[Orestis Makris]], [[Katina Paxinou]], [[Manos Katrakis]] and [[Dimitris Horn]]. Significant directors include [[Dimitris Rontiris]], [[Alexis Minotis]] and [[Karolos Koun]].