Sanctuary of Dionysus Eleuthereus

Adjacent to the theater, this sanctuary was the religious heart of the City Dionysia. Processions brought the statue of Dionysus here, and sacrifices (including wine libations) preceded theatrical performances. The remains of the temple and altar show where Athenians worshipped the wine god for centuries.

What to do there

3 things to do

1. 1 Find the Oldest Wine Cult Site in Athens History · Free

   Before the theater existed, before the Parthenon was built, this sanctuary on the south slope of the Acropolis was already ancient. Two temples here served the god who gave wine to mortals.

   The Sanctuary of Dionysus Eleuthereus is where the god's worship arrived in Athens. 'Eleuthereus' means 'the Liberator' - the god who frees you from inhibition through wine. The cult was carried here from the village of Eleutherai during the 6th century BC under tyrant Peisistratus. Two temples once stood on this ground - the low stone foundations you pass before reaching the theater seating on the south slope of the Acropolis. This was the god's foremost sanctuary in Athens, where wine libations were poured before every performance for centuries. Walk through the sanctuary (included in €30 Acropolis ticket) and find the altar area between the temple remains and the theater entrance - very little stands above knee height, but you're standing on the religious heart of Western drama.

   Backup: The Acropolis Museum (5 minutes' walk) has a dedicated panel and artifacts explaining what this sanctuary looked like at its height - worth visiting before or after to visualize what the low ruins once were.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Reconstruct the City Dionysia Procession in Your Mind History · Free

   Once a year in late March, 25,000 Athenians masked their faces, carried a wooden statue and enormous phalloi through the streets, sacrificed bulls here, and feasted together. This is where it ended.

   The City Dionysia procession was the most spectacular public event in ancient Athens. A wooden statue of Dionysus was carried from outside the city, escorted through Athens with citizens carrying giant phalloi on poles, faces covered with masks. They danced the kōmos through the Agora, moved along the Street of Tripods, and arrived HERE at this sanctuary, where they sacrificed bulls and held a feast for every person in Athens. Then the plays began. Standing at the sanctuary entrance, look back toward the modern city - the procession came from that direction. Now look at the sanctuary altar, then at the theater immediately behind it. The sequence was: arrive here, sacrifice, feast, then watch five days of plays as an act of worship.

   Backup: The inscriptions excavated here (1997-2005, by Christina Papastamati-von Moock) included fragments of seat assignment records. The Acropolis Museum has information on the excavation findings.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Locate the Two Temples That Time Erased Adventure · Free · Optional

   Archaeology detectives' challenge: two completely different temples - one from 600 BC, one from 350 BC - occupy the same ground. Find evidence of both in the ruins.

   Two phases of the sanctuary are visible in the ruins if you know what to look for. The older temple (6th century BC, contemporary with Peisistratus) has foundation courses in one style; the 350 BC replacement shows different construction technique and stone. Recent excavations (2002-2017) revealed new evidence that rewrote what archaeologists thought they knew about the sanctuary's development. Look for the low foundation walls that form two distinct rectangular outlines - the older foundations tend to appear as the deeper, rougher courses. Even if the two phases aren't immediately distinguishable, the fact that one religious community rebuilt their most sacred site from scratch around 350 BC says everything about how central this place was to Athenian identity.

   Backup: The World History Encyclopedia article on 'Theatre of Dionysos Eleuthereus' (accessible on mobile at worldhistory.org) has a reconstruction diagram showing both temple positions.

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• Often overlooked by visitors to the theater

• The altar is where libations were poured

• Best understood with good guidebook

• Combine with theater visit