Short answers, pulled from the story.
Drama comes from a Greek word meaning "deed" or "act," derived from the Greek verb meaning "I do." The term entered English use as a replacement for the older word "play," which was the standard term for theatrical works until William Shakespeare's era.
Aeschylus' The Persians is the oldest surviving drama in the Western tradition. It won first prize at the City Dionysia competition in 472 BC, at which point Aeschylus had already been writing plays for more than 25 years.
Hrosvitha wrote six plays in Latin in the 10th century, modeled on Terence's comedies but treating religious subjects. Her work is the first drama known to be composed by a female dramatist and the first identifiable Western drama of the post-Classical era.
English mystery plays were vernacular cycles performed by trade guilds, composed of many short playlets. Four complete cycles survive: York with 48 plays, Chester with 24, Wakefield with 32, and the N-Town cycle with 42 plays.
John Dryden, William Wycherley, and George Etherege wrote the unsentimental comedies of the first peak in the mid-1670s. William Congreve and John Vanbrugh led the second wave in the 1690s. Aphra Behn, the first professional female playwright in English, was active in the 1680s between these two periods.
The Natyashastra, or A Treatise on Theatre, is attributed to Bharata Muni and is described as the most complete work of dramaturgy in the ancient world. Its date of composition is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 200 BC to 200 AD. It covers acting, dance, music, dramatic construction, architecture, costuming, and the organisation of theatrical companies.