GREECE PELOPONNESE ARGOLIS EPIDAURUS THEATRE

The great theatre of Epidaurus, famed for its acoustics already in antiquity, is a major specimen of Hellenistic theatre construction and a main attraction for the many tourists coming to Epidaurus. Being the best-preserved ancient theatre in Greece, it is again regularly used for theatrical performances of ancient drama since the 1950's.

The semicircular cavea with a diameter of 114 m beautifully nestles in the northwestern slope of Mount Kynortion. It has 55 rows of white limestone seats, divided by the diazoma in two blocks, and accomodates some 14,000 spectators. The orchestra is a full circle with a diameter of 20 m. Two ramps with monumental doorways on either side of the skene lead to the stage and the theatre.

The theatre was erected towards the end of the 4th century BC onder the direction of Polykleitos and was enlarged in the 2nd century BC to its present form.

For centuries hidden under thick layers of earth, it was excavated from 1881 onwards by Panagiotis Kavvadias. Nearly all parts of the theatre were found beautifully conserved, except for some Roman additions that can very easily be missed.

Below: Two ramps with monumental parodoi on either side of the skene lead to the stage and the theatre.