Images of the starry sky in ancient dramaturgy

The article examines various examples of presentation of astronomical issues in ancient drama. Often, playwrights of Ancient Greece and Rome included various philosophical and astronomical aspects in their works. Unfortunately, few works of tragic and comic poets have survived to this day, while in ancient times there were much more of them. In the promotion of scientific knowledge to the masses, ancient theater played an extremely important role, thanks to such a distinctive feature as mass participation. Dramatic material almost immediately became the object of close attention of scholiasts (commentators), and in Byzantium, competitions were held in the manner of theatrical performances, known as «theatres of scientists.» This is very important for deeper understanding of the role of astronomical topics in ancient drama and pedagogy. Keywords: antiquity, ancient theater, drama, astronomy, ancient philosophy.