The Acoustics of the Ancient Theatres Preface

Ancient theatres were prominent public buildings of the Greek-Roman era. To date, 741 ancient theatre structures have been identified and documented, 194 being earlier Greek theatres, 425 theatres and 46 odeia being from the Roman period and another 76 recorded theatres not accurately categorised. The evolution of these theatres starts from 6th century BC and the transition from the Hellenistic to the Roman period is placed around the mid-1st century BC. These ancient theatres stand as the earliest testament to the close relationship between the architectural concepts, acoustic principles and theatrical act. The emergence and historical development of theatre as an art form from the beginnings of ancient drama to later forms of theatrical expression was affected by the structure and acoustic properties of the open-air amphitheatres. This simple structure consisting of the large cavity to seat spectators (the “koilon” or “cavea”), the mid-way stage area where the action took place (the “orchestra”) and the backstage building (the “skene”) is possibly the earliest example showing how proper architectural acoustics can support and enhance speech and music communication, over large public audiences. By allowing perfect speech reproduction for more than 10000 persons, these buildings allowed the transformation of age-old ritual ceremonies in honour of gods into great and timeless works of dramatic art performed by actors to their fellow citizens and the world. If well-preserved, such theatres still attract numerous audiences during modern-day performances fulfilling functions similar to those for which they were constructed more than two thousand years ago. Via their evolution to the roofed odea which were more appropriate for music performances and to the later-day theatrical spaces and concert halls, these ancient theatres represent the ancestry in architectural acoustics. In a broader sense, these theatres are also significant for the western civilisation and the universal cultural heritage