← Explore on the interactive map

Aeschylus

Type Figure Region Athens Time c. -525–-456 Also known as Father of Tragedy

Ancient Greek tragedian called the father of Western tragedy; a Marathon veteran and author of the Oresteia.

Timeline

  1. c. -525–-500Eleusis · AtticaAeschylus was born at Eleusis in Attica, with deep ties to the sanctuary of the Eleusinian Mysteries. He received a traditional religious and poetic education that laid the basis for later tragedies drawing on myth and religion.
  2. -490–-480Marathon · AtticaAeschylus fought at Marathon in 490 BCE against the Persians, and his epitaph stresses his role as a soldier rather than as a poet. His military experience gave him a profound understanding of war, fate, and the survival of the polis as tragic themes.
  3. c. -499–-458Athens · AtticaAeschylus won prizes repeatedly in the Athenian Dionysia competitions, writing masterpieces including Persians, Seven Against Thebes, Prometheus, and the Oresteia trilogy. He increased the number of actors and strengthened dialogue and interaction with the chorus, bringing the art of tragedy to maturity.
  4. -458–-456Gela · SicilyIn his later years Aeschylus went to Gela in Sicily, where he continued to write and stage drama. He died at Gela in 456 BCE; Athens gave him a splendid funeral, and his tragic tradition was carried on by Sophocles and Euripides.

Sources