Choragic Monument of Lysicrates

The Lysicrates monument is located on the ancient street of Tripodon near the Athenian Acropolis. It was erected in 335/4 BC to honor Lysicrates, the son of Lysitheides, for the victory in the dramatic competition of a chorus for which he served as choregos. This monument was one of many lining this street, which ran near the theater of Dionysus, and like them bore an inscription that provides the date and the identity of the honoree. The monument, executed in Pentelic marble, takes the form of a cylinder with a conical roof; around the cylinder is a series of engaged columns with Corinthian capitals, and above these is a figural frieze. This represents one of the first uses of the elaborate Corinthian order on the exterior of a building. The frieze represents a scene from the mythical biography of Dionysus, in which he transforms pirates who have captured him into dolphins. The sculptural element at the peak of the roof would originally have held the bronze tripod awarded as the prize in the competition.