Of the dramatic performances at the City Dionysia, which we have next to consider, the tragic were the most important. The City Dionysia was specially connected with the growth of the tragic drama, and it was here that the earliest public contests in tragedy were established. The first competition was held in B.C. 535, and was rendered doubly memorable by the fact that Thespis, now an old man, took part in the performance, and won the prize of victory.[42] Shortly before this time Pisistratus, who was a great patron of art and literature, had returned from exile, and begun his last tyranny. It must have been under his auspices, therefore, that tragedy was first officially recognized by the State, and made an annual institution. As to the character of these early contests, and the arrangements concerning the number of poets and plays, nothing has been recorded.[43] It is uncertain whether the regulations were the same as those which afterwards prevailed during the fifth century. But we are told that the tragic poet Choerilus, who began to exhibit in 523, composed no less than a hundred and sixty plays.[44] The largeness of the number would seem to show that even in the sixth century it was the custom for each competing poet to bring out several plays at each festival. When we turn to the fifth century, the information is fairly complete. Several records have been preserved, referring chiefly to the three great tragic poets, and giving a more or less detailed account of the results of the competitions. It may be interesting to mention some of these records. The earliest refers to the year 499, and tells us that three poets—Aeschylus, Choerilus, and Pratinas—took part in the tragic contest.[45] From the next we learn that in 472 Aeschylus won the first prize, and that the plays he exhibited were the Phineus, Persae, Glaucus, and the satyric drama Prometheus.[46] In 467, Aeschylus was first with the Laius, Oedipus, Septem contra Thebas, and the satyric play Sphinx; Aristias was second with the Perseus, Tantalus, and the satyric play Palaestae, written by his father Pratinas; Polyphradmon was third with the Lycurgean tetralogy.[47] The name of one of the plays of Aristias has doubtless dropped out accidentally, as there is no other instance of poets competing at the same festival with a different number of plays. A very interesting record is that for the year 458, when Aeschylus was again victorious, this time with the Orestean group of plays, the Agamemnon, Choephori, Eumenides, and satyric Proteus.[48] In 438 Sophocles was first; Euripides was second with the Cressae, Alcmaeon in Psophis, Telephus, and Alcestis. In 431 Euphorion was first, Sophocles second, and Euripides third with the Medea, Philoctetes, Dictys, and satyric play Theristae. In 428 Euripides was first (the Hippolytus being one of his plays), Iophon second, Ion third.[49] Among the last of the notices is that for the year 415, when Euripides, who produced the