Monumento di Lisicrate
Athens
The Monument of Lysicrates is a small round temple from 335 BC, in the Plaka. It celebrates the victory of a show in a theatre contest.
A marble trophy
In ancient Athens, wealthy citizens paid the costs of public shows. Lysicrates did so for a group of boys who won the contest in 335 BC.
The prize was a large bronze object. Lysicrates built this monument to display it, along the street that led to the theatre.
What to look at
The little round temple stands on a tall base. It has six columns with Corinthian capitals, among the first used on the outside of a building. Between the columns are slabs of grey marble.
High up runs a frieze with a sea story: a god, some pirates and a punishment. The roof is a single block of marble carved with leaves.
A thousand lives
In 1669 the monument became part of the garden of a convent of French friars. The convent was destroyed during the War of Independence.
In the 1800s French architects freed it from the rubble and restored it. Today the little square, with its trees, is a meeting place loved by Athenians.
