The Theatre of Palaia Epidavros ( el, Θέατρο Αρχαίας Πόλεως Επιδαύρου), also known as the Small Theatre of Epidauros, is an ancient Greek theatre, located on the slope of the

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens, ...

of the ancient city of

Epidaurus Epidaurus ( gr, Ἐπίδαυρος) was a small city (''polis'') in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: ''Palaia Epidavros'' and ''Nea Epidavros''. Since 2010 they belong to the ...

, Greece, near the present-day village of Palaia Epidavros. The theatre was built in successive phases, the first of which dates back to the Classical period and continued until the Hellenistic period. Further architectural modifications also took place during the

Roman period The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. The site of the theatre was discovered in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

, and organised

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

s on the site began in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

. At the same time, other smaller-scale archaeological excavations were carried out on the site in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

. A typical example of ancient Greek theatre, this theatre is semi-circular in shape, with an orchestra at its centre. Initially circular in shape, the orchestra was transformed into a semi-circular shape during the Roman period. To date, 18 rows of seats have been uncovered within the theatre, which is divided into nine sections separated by rows of vertically arranged steps. The seating capacity is estimated at at least spectators. The theatre is in a relatively good state of preservation and is undergoing a number of restoration works. This theatre should not be confused with the larger and better-known

Theatre of Epidaurus The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is a theatre in the Greek city of Epidaurus, located on the southeast end of the sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Greek God of medicine, Asclepius. It is built on the west side of Cynortion Mountain, near modern ...

, located near the Asclepion of Epidaurus. Nowadays, the theatre is used as a venue for theatrical performances at festivals such as the

Athens-Epidaurus Festival Athens – Epidaurus Festival is an annual arts festival that takes place in Athens and Epidaurus, from May to October. It is one of the most famous festivals in Greece. The festival includes musical, theatrical and other cultural events. Histor ...

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, History, Greece Ancient Greek theatres in Greece Buildings and structures in Argolis