Actors and Icons of the Ancient Theater examines actors and their popular reception from the origins of theater in Classical Greece to the Roman Empire. This insighful new text offers the first systematic survey of evidence for the spread of theater outside Athens and the impact of the expansion of theater upon actors and dramatic literature.

List of illustrations vi Preface viii List of abbreviations xiii 1 A Portrait of the Artist I: Theater-Realistic Art in Athens, 500–330 BC 1 2 A Portrait of the Artist II: Theater-Realistic Art in the Greek West, 400–300 BC 38 3 The Spread of Theater and the Rise of the Actor 83 4 Kallippides on the Floor Sweepings: The Limits of Realism in Classical Acting 117 5 Cooking with Menander: Slices from the Ancient Home Entertainment Industry? 140 6 The Politics of Privatization: A Short History of the Privatization of Drama from Classical Athens to Early Imperial Rome 168 Bibliography 205 Index 227

Actors and Icons of the Ancient Theater examines the realities of everyday life for actors -- and their popular reception -- from the time of theater's emergence in Classical Greece to its subsequent demise during the Roman Empire. In a series of six pioneering essays, noted Classical scholar Eric Csapo un-masks the ancient acting profession to reveal myriad facets of its social, economic, and political history. Along with addressing the evolving image of the actor in Attic and West Greek art, Csapo shows how the rapid expansion of the theater industry from about 430 BC provided the economic basis for the development of an independent and highly competitive acting profession. Other original studies reveal how the emergence of professional actors in the late fifth century changed the way tragedy and comedy were written, and what theater iconography tells us about the activity and performance styles of actors from the Hellenistic period to the Early Byzantine Empire. A final study addresses the history of the privatization of theater from Late Classical to Imperial times. Revelatory and thought-provoking, Actors and Icons of the Ancient Theater offers students and scholars alike fascinating new insights into the origins and evolution of one of the world's most enduring traditions.

“Eric Csapo has ferreted out an extraordinary quantity of underappreciated evidence, which he pulls together to produce a highly original and convincing history of actors and acting in the ancient world. Essential reading for understanding the whole context of the great achievements of ancient Greek tragedy and comedy.” Oliver Taplin, Oxford University "With an excellent command of the many kinds of evidence, E. Csapo focuses on the actor’s image. He gives us a fascinating new history of the ancient theater."  Brigitte Le Guen, Paris 8 University “An enthralling read. Nobody brings the world of the ancient theatre alive like Eric Csapo. From the ways Greek actors reduced their audiences to tears or helpless laughter to the economic and political importance of the Roman entertainment industry, he sees vivid details that pass other scholars by. The range of new evidence and insights is breathtaking. Compulsory reading for all historians of ancient theatre, society or culture.” Edith Hall, Royal Holloway University of London

A Note on Spelling and Transliteration Preface Chapter 1: A Portrait of the Artist I: Theatre-Realistic Art in Athens, 500-330 BC Chapter 2: A Portrait of the Artist II: Theatre-Realistic Art in the Greek West, 400-300 BC Chapter 3: The Spread of Theater and the Rise of the Actor Chapter 4: Kallippides on the Floor Sweepings: The Limits of Realism in Ancient Acting Chapter 5: Cooking with Menander: Slices from the Ancient Home Entertainment Industry? Chapter 6: The Politics of Privatization: A Short History of the Privatization of Drama from Classical Athens to Early Imperial Rome Abbreviations Bibliography Index