Comedy was the special product of the Lenaea, and was regarded as of more importance than tragedy. It was doubtless at this festival that comic contests were first regularly organized. The date is not recorded. But they must have been in existence at any rate as early as 463,[97] since at that time they were already included in the City Dionysia. There is also another piece of evidence. Chionides, one of the early comic poets, is said to have begun to exhibit plays in 487. It is unlikely that the exact year of his first appearance would have been remembered, unless it had referred to a regular public contest. Hence we may probably assume that comic contests had been established as early as 487; and if so, they may have been established at the Lenaea.[98] But they cannot go back beyond about 500, since comedy in general was a later institution than tragedy. The first definite and dated record of a comic contest at the Lenaea is for the year 425, when Aristophanes produced his Acharnians.[99] From this time forward the history of comedy at the Lenaea is much the same as its history at the City Dionysia. During the fifth century there were three competing poets, and each brought out a single play.[100] In the fourth century the number of poets was varied to five.[101] The practice of exhibiting an old comedy as a prelude to the new ones was introduced in the course of the next hundred years.[102] In the second century original comedy was still flourishing as vigorously as ever at Athens, though none of the records so far dated with certainty refer to the Lenaea.[103] There is no evidence as to its later course.