Odeion

Though poverty lurked in tenements and alleys, joviality flourished in taverns, foodstalls, bawdyhouses, odeions, the homes of the well-to-do.

As we have seen, Roman sponsorship of chairs of rhetoric and cultural buildings—such as theatres, odeions, and libraries—is well documented from the Republic through the reign of Hadrian, revealing sustained support for rhetoric and literary studies throughout the Empire.

Correspondingly, statues of Apollo and the Muses are placed in theatres and odeions.

The idea that the building was originally for declamation (Spawforth (2012), 63–4) does not account convincingly for the colossal and the life-size statues of Dionysus probably in the stage area (Thompson (1950), 69,78–80, plates 51–2; Paus. 1.14.1; the architectural form of odeia is perfectly suited to theatrical performance or performance related to drama).

The position of all bouleuteria and many odeia is determined by the location of other associated public facilities, especially agoras and other peristyle courtyards.

In addition, only a small number of cities (and almost no small cities) present evidence for the repair or adaptation of public buildings (i.e. agorai, theatres, odeia, stadions, aqueducts, and baths) during the Early Roman Imperial period.