Aeschylus was Greece's leading playwright between his first victory at the festival Dionysus in 0484 B.C.E. until his death, winning thirteen first-place crowns in that period. His epitaph boasts only that he fought bravely for Athens at the Battle of Marathin.

Michael Ewans has recently retired as Professor of Drama at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. An experienced translator of ancient Greek drama, he has also directed numerous full productions of Greek plays. His published works include translations of plays by Sophocles and Aeschylus as well as three books on opera.