Odeon of Herodes Atticus

We are only a few short days away from a mass invasion of Flo fans descending upon Greece. In honor of the Athens shows, I thought it would make it a little more special for all who are attending the shows at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus to know the background of this incredibly historic venue.

Odeon of Herod Atticus Photo: © Anastasios71 / Shutterstock

    

As with all solid Greek stories, the creation of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus involves fame, love, and a hint of murder. Dun Dun Dunnnnnn. The Odeon is named after the famed Athenian Herodes Atticus, who was born into a wealthy and high-ranking political family. His mother was a wealthy heiress and his father was a Roman senator. It’s said that Herodes claimed lineage from a series of mythic Greek kings: Theseus, Cecrops, and Aeacus, as well as the god Zeus (Sounds like a bit of a red flag to me.) (1). Because of his father’s work in Rome, Herodes spent his childhood between Greece and Italy, receiving an education in rhetoric and philosophy from some of the best teachers in each region. Despite splitting much of his time between the two places, he maintained his Greek cultural outlook throughout his life.

As Herodes moved into his adult years, Emperor Hadrian (yes, as in Hadrian’s wall) appointed him as a prefect of a region but eventually he returned to Athens and became a most renowned teacher. In 139 AD Emperor Antoninus Pius asked Herodes to become a tutor to his sons, a position that would aid in altering the course of his life down the line. It was here that Herodes met his wife, Aspasia Annia Regilla, a wealthy aristocrat who was friends with Antoninus’ wife. When they wed, Regilla was only 14 years to Herodes’ 40. Regilla came from an aristocratic family of consular rank and was given a dowry upon their marriage. The couple decided to use it to buy a villa outside of Rome and together they controlled a large area of land. By 143 AD, Emperor Antoninus appointed Herodes as a consul (the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic which was shared by two people for a one year term) and once his consulship was over, the family permanently moved back to Athens.

Regilla spent the rest of her life in Greece being a bad-ass powerhouse. She was bestowed the honor to be a priestess of the goddess Tyche, but most importantly, she was chosen to be a priestess of Demeter Chamyne in Olympia, Greece in 153.

(View of the Olympic stadium where the altar can be seen.
Image online, courtesy Greek-language textbook)

For the entirety of the ancient Olympics, only unmarried women were allowed to attend, with the exception of one married woman - the priestess of Demeter Chamyne, the goddess of fertility, who was given a privileged position next to the stadium altar (2). This altar was placed at the very center of the course directly opposite the judges’ seats. The altar is made out of reused white stone and still stands, dating back to the same time Regilla was priestess, suggesting that the altar was built specifically for her (3).

With all these ties to Olympia, Regilla used her wealth and influence to erect a monumental fountain using water from an aqueduct her husband had built. The fountain was multi-tiered and adorned with a statue of Zeus, a line of Roman Emperors, and statues of her family. The fountain is called The Nymphaeum of Herodes Atticus and is credited to him even though it was a joint project (4). You can visit the ruin of this ornamental fountain in Olympia and see the life size statue of a Bull that Regilla donated inside the Olympia Museum.

In 160 AD this story takes a tragic turn when Regilla’s life came to a sudden end. Regilla was found kicked to death in the abdomen by one of Herodes’ freed slaves. Her brother quickly pressed charges against Herodes, but we have moved full circle and the boy that Herodes once tutored in Rome was now a man and exonerated Herodes of all charges. 

Stricken with quite public grief, Herodes erected various dedications to his deceased wife, one of them being the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. One would think that if he was so sad about Regilla dying and he didn’t actually murder her that would name the thing after her… 

Who knows what the state of their marriage or relationship was really like over the years. We are left with a timeline of Herodes’ and Regilla’s familial/personal political history and the impact of their social influence. But one thing is for certain - the story of Herodes Atticus and Aspasia Annia Regilla was built on a political marriage and tainted by money, social standing, and murder; leaving us with a story that has lasted throughout the ages.

The Odeon in 1880,
Brooklyn Museum Archives

We are also left with the incredible ruins of the Odeon that has made it through an almost complete destruction by the Heruli Germanic tribe in 267 AD. The remains of the amphitheater were rebuilt in the 1950’s and is now actively used for theater performances and concerts.

There seems to be a lot to read between the lines of Herodes and Regilla’s relationship. After piecing together the outline of their history, I felt like it was all such a tragedy. But then the overwhelming evidence pointing towards Regilla’s role as a badass powerful woman in life overrules the role history has doled out to her as Regilla the victim. Even though Herodes erected this monument out of grief (or guilt), the Odeon seems to hold powerful feminine energy to me. And what better place to end the High as Hope tour? After all,

I believe her

I believe her

I believe her

Regilla (and Patti Smith because she played here too!) we welcome you!

Works Cited

1. Day, J., An economic history of Athens under Roman domination p. 238

2. “Ancient Olympic Athletes - Leonidas, Melankomas, Milon.” International Olympic Committee, 20 Dec. 2018, https://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games/the-athlete.

3. Connelly, Joan Breton. Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece. Princeton University Press, 2010.

4. Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2008.01.44, http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2008/2008-01-44.html#n2.