The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, also known as the lantern of Diogenes, is the best preserved sponsored monument in Athens.

It is located in Plaka, in the homonymous Lysicrates Square and on the historic Tripodon Street.

Tripodon Street, moreover, took its name from the sponsorship tripods that adorned it and were placed on either side of the street.

This was a sponsorship monument, i.e. a monument on which the tripod was placed, which was given as an honorary prize to the sponsor, who undertook the formation of the chorus and the costs of holding chorus competitions during the official ceremonies. The prize offered to the sponsor was deposited either at the sanctuary of Dionysus or at  Tripodon Street adjacent to the sanctuary.

In order to make the trophy look even more magnificent, it was placed on a high base, either in the form of a column or in the shape of a temple.

Sponsorship in ancient Athens

Instead of taxing wealthy Athenians, the city had found another way of compensation. It entrusted them with bearing the costs of putting on performances (theatrical plays or tragedies). When the play, for which they had undertaken the expenses, won a prize, the sponsor was rewarded by the city with a bronze or golden plated tripod. This tripod was placed on a sponsoring monument dedicated to Dionysus. Tripodon Street took its name from the placement of these tripods on the right and left of the street. Athenians used to stroll down Tripodon Street to admire these monuments and read the names of the sponsors at the same time. Something like today’s Hollywood Walk of Fame a la Ancient Greek or rather Athenian!

Description of the monument

The monument was built in 333-334 B.C. when Eoinetus ruled Athens, as it can be seen in the inscription of the dedication.He won it as a sponsor in a dance competition of children of the Acamantis tribe during the 111th Olympiad.

The monument mentions the basic elements that should logically be there. The name of the sponsor, the origin of the actors, the name of the author and lastly the name of the lord of the city.

The monument consists of a tall rectangular pedestal of porous stone (sides 2.93) on which the main monument rises, a circular building with six Corinthian columns of Pentelic marble. Its height reached 10.30 metres and it was decorated with tendrils and floral ornaments.

The themes of the frieze

In the frieze there are reliefs on the theme of the adventure of the god Dionysus with the Tyrrhenian pirates. The pirates had captured God without knowing who he was and intended to sell him as a slave. Dionysus, after being freed, punished them with the help of the satyrs by transforming them into dolphins.

Dionysus in the frieze of the monument is shown sitting quietly on a rock, now victorious, watching the pirates being chased by the satyrs, some of whom cut branches from trees, some of whom beat the pirates, some of whom chase them to the sea where they are transformed into dolphins, and some of whom revel in drinking from the crater.The choice of the theme was of course not accidental since it was intended not only to decorate the monument but also to honour the God in whose honour the games were being held.

Τhe lantern of Diogenes

In medieval times it was believed that the acanthus was the base of a lantern and because of this it was called the “lychonos”, lantern or lantern of Diogenes, reminding the world of the Lantern of Diogenes, who was shown by tradition to be walking around holding a lantern, desperately searching the ancient market for “people”. One tradition even holds that the cynical philosopher stayed there for a time.

Are there any other sponsored monuments?

In the archaeological site of Plaka, in Lysicratus Square, the foundations of four sponsorship monuments have been found. Outside the archaeological site, excavations over the last 30 years have unearthed the foundations of about ten sponsored monuments on Bacchus, Byronos, Shelley and Tripodon streets. These finds were located in houses or residential courtyards.

The sponsoring monument of Thrasyllus above the theatre of Dionysus, in a natural cave that was later used as the temple of the Virgin Mary of Spiliotissa, is also known.

The monastery of the Capuchins

The Capuchin monks bought the monument from the Turks and founded a monastery. Lord Byron was even hosted in the guesthouse of the monastery. The monument was incorporated into the monastery’s library. In 1821 the convent was burned by the Ottomans during the Greek War of Independence, and subsequently demolished.