Odeon (building)
Odeon or Odeum (, , lit. "singing place") is the name for several ancient Greek and Roman buildings built for musical activities such as singing, musical shows, and poetry competitions. Odeons were smaller than Greek and Roman theatres. Etymology The ancient Greek word comes from the verb (, "I sing") which is also the root of (, "ode") and of (, "singer"). Description In a general way, the construction of an odeon was similar to that of an ancient Greek theatre and Roman theatre, but it was only a quarter of the size and was provided with a roof for acoustic purposes, a characteristic difference. The prototype odeon was the Odeon of Pericles (Odeon of Athens), a mainly wooden building by the southern slope of the Acropolis of Athens. It was described by Plutarch as "many-seated and many-columned" and may have been square, though excavations have also suggested a different shape, . It was said to be decorated with the masts and spars of ships captured from the Persians. It was rebuilt by king Ariobarzanes I of Cappadocia after its destruction by fire in the First Mithridatic War in 87–86 BC. Examples The oldest known odeon in Greece was the