The theater at Ephesus

Drama

As with the case of poetry, the heyday of drama ended before the second century with the death of Seneca in 65 C.E. As was the case with many of the other arts, drama was repeats of what had become the classics. Older authors like Seneca, Plautus, Terence and Menander had their plays played along side the plays of Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus of ancient Greece.

A newer addition to the stage was the pantamime. This was a play that was similar to ballet. The entire play would be acted out without words and supplimented by music and dancing. Pantomime was incredibly popular among the lower classes since it allowed women on the stage and often included erotic scenes. The higher classes found this sort of play to be unworthy of their status and shunned it. Women also tended to avoid these plays.

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