The Theater of Dionysis was originally built in the 6th century B.C., but reconstructed in its current form 200 years later. Its physical size and seating capacity (17,000) indicate the importance of the theater in ancient Athenian life. Next door is the Odeum--a music hall that was built in the 2nd century B.C., and reconstructed in the 19th century. While the Dionysis is almost always open to the public, the opposite is true of the Odeum, which is generally only open for performances.
