
The competition was a grand affair and was more of a festival.ġ8. Aeschylus took part in the dramatic competitions that were common in those days. He rendered his services to the Battle of Plataea as well in 479 BC.ġ7. Aeschylus resumed his military duties in 480 BC when he received a call to fight against Xerxes I’s invading forces at the Battle of Salamis.ġ6. The death of his brother Cynegeirus while trying to prevent a Persian ship retreating from the shore caused him much pain and grief.ġ5. In 490 BC, he along with his brother Cynegeirus fought to defend Athens against Darius I at the Battle of Marathon.ġ4. According to second century AD geographer Pausanias, God Dionysus visited Aeschylus in his sleep and instructed him to concentrate his energy and focus his attention on the nascent art of tragedy.ġ3. During his early years, young Aeschylus worked at the vineyard.ġ2. Born in a wealthy and affluent family, he was fathered by Euphorion, a member of the Eupatridae, the ancient nobility of Attica.ġ1.

It’s believed that he was born in 525 BC in Eleusis, a small town which is located northwest of Athens.ġ0. The significance of war in Ancient Greek culture was so great that Aeschylus’ epitaph commemorates his participation in the Greek victory at Marathon, while making no mention of his success as a playwright.ĩ. The Persians is the only surviving classical Greek tragedy concerned with contemporary events and a useful source of information about its period.Ĩ. At least one of his plays was influenced by the Persians’ second invasion of Greece.ħ. His Oresteia is the only ancient example of the form to have survived.Ħ. He was probably the first dramatist to present plays as a trilogy.ĥ. Fragments of some other plays have survived in quotations and more continue to be discovered on Egyptian papyrus, often giving surprising insights into his work.Ĥ. Only seven of his estimated seventy to ninety plays have survived, and there is a long standing debate regarding his authorship of one of these plays, Prometheus Bound, which some believe his son Euphorion actually wrote.ģ. Characters previously had interacted only with the chorus.Ģ. According to Aristotle, Aeschylus expanded the number of characters in the theater and allowed conflict among them. Take a look below for 30 more interesting and awesome facts about Aeschylus.ġ. Academics’ knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier tragedies is largely based on inferences from his surviving plays. He’s often described as the father of tragedy.

Aeschylus was an ancient Greek tragedian.
