Greece & Its Theatre

Ancient Greece has been celebrated for its cultural achievements and its government. Although most of this culture was changed or altered after the Roman Empire came to existence Greek theatre has come to be the main contributor to the structure of theatre today. The style of writing the plays; comedy and tragedy, and the layout of the theater itself has evolved from the original format comprised by the Athenians. Theatre was a huge part of ancient Greek culture, with theaters in every town and competitions to find the best playwrights and actors. Without the theatre constructed by the ancient Greeks we would either not have theatre today, or it would be widely different.
The island of Crete was the cradle of an early civilization that later influenced the Greeks. The people of Crete had accumulated many ideas from the Egyptians and Mesopotamians. These people, although unknown what they had called themselves, are referred to as Minoans, after Minos; the legendary king of Crete. Their success was based upon trade rather than conquest, and their civilization reached its peak between 1600 BC and 1500 BC. The ideas and technology (i.e. writing, architecture, etc.) garnered from the Egyptians and Mesopotamians through trading posts throughout the Aegean world, were further adapted into the Minoan culture. These Minoan traders would cross the Aegean Sea to the Nile Valley and the Middle East. The rulers of this vast trading empire lived in a palace, at Knossos. This palace included rooms for the royal family, banquet halls, working areas for artisans, and religious shrines. The walls of this palace were covered in frescoes; watercolor paintings done on wet plaster. The imagery of these frescoes indicates the importance’s of the civilization; some emphasized the important of the sea as a means of trading, while others show that the Minoans worshipped the bull and the mother goddess. Paintings also suggest that the women freely appeared in public, this