Saturday, 25 November 2023

The Theoric Fund (Theorikon/Theorika)

The "theorikon" (plural: "theorika") was a fund set aside by the Athenian state in its budget for the subsidy of certain public events, including theatrical performances. The purpose of the theorikon was to make cultural and religious events, such as theatrical productions and festivals, accessible to a wider audience by providing free or heavily subsidised tickets for the poorer members of society. It was Pericles who  introduced the Theoric Fund as a means to subsidise the cost of theatre tickets for the poor. The price of a ticket to the Theatre of Dionysos was two obols, as much as a labourer earned in a day.

The Theorica (Greek: Θεωρικά), also called the Festival Fund, was the name of the public fund of monies in ancient Athens which was expended on festivals, sacrifices, and public entertainments of various kinds, as well as providing money for the largesse for poorer citizens to be able to attend the performances. Some scholars believe profits from all ticket sales and the sales animal hides from sacrifices went back into the Theoric fund; others argue it depended on the specific festival and period of history.

References

The Context of Ancient Drama: Eric Csapo and William Slater - Internet Archive
Sources: Theorikon and Entrance Fees pp. 293-7 and p.287-8

Theorika in Fifth-Century Athens - CORE

Theorica - Wikipedia

theorikon (θεωρικόν) – The Ancient Theatre Archive

θεωρικός - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Theorica - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Theorika: A Study of Monetary Distributions to the Athenian Citizenry during the Fifth and Fourth Centuries B.C. James J. Buchanan | Classical Philology: Vol 58, No 4

The Oxford Classical Dictionary theorika : Hornblower & Spawforth -Internet Archive

Die Staatshaushaltung der Athener : Boeckh, August - Internet Archive

ESKİ YUNANCA : DTCF (Chapter 4 The Men Who Built the Theatres by Eric Csapo) - Internet Archive

The Tangled Ways of Zeus ed. by Sommerstein, Alan H - Internet Archive

The Greek theatre and festivals: documentary studies (Entrance Fees and the Theorikon) - Internet Archive

What was the law of Leptines’ really about? Reflections on Athenian public economy and legislation in the fourth century BCE - CORE Reader

Theater of the People: Spectators and Society in Ancient Athens on JSTOR D. K. ROSELLI (2011)
In particular:  CHAPTER 3 The ECONOMICS of the THEATER: THEORIC DISTRIBUTIONS and CLASS DIVISIONS (pp. 87-117) Theater of the People - Google Books

Theorika in Fifth-Century Athens | Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies

Demosthenes And The Last Days Of Greek Freedom 383 322 : A. W. Pickard Cambridge - Internet Archive

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