What Is The Great Theatre Of Epidaurus?
The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is a theatre in the Greek city of Epidaurus. It is located on the southeast end of the sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Greek God of medicine, Asclepius. The theatre is built on the west side of Kynortion Mountain, near modern Lygourio, and belongs to the Epidaurus Municipality
The Asklepieion at Epidaurus comprises two sanctuaries dedicated to two healing gods namely the earlier sanctuary of Apollo Maleatas on Mt. Kynortion and the later sanctuary of Asklepios in the plain. This was where healing rituals took place.
The sanctuary in the plain is the largest and better known of the two. The entrance to the modern archaeological site is located on its southwest side, but the sanctuary was originally accessed from the north through the Propylaia, a monumental Doric gate.
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History
The ancient theatre was constructed at the end of the 4th century BC by the architect Polykleitos the Younger. It was built with local stone on a natural slope of Mt Kynortion at the southernmost edge of the Sanctuary of Asklepios. Asklepios was the seat of the healer-god of antiquity and the greatest healing centre of the ancient Greek and Roman world. The theatre hosted music, drama and singing contests and poetry recitals that formed part of the festivals in honour of Asklepios.
It was originally believed that the theatre was built in two phases, at the end of the 4th and in the 2nd century BC, when the amphitheatre was added. However, recent research, leans towards the view that the cavea was constructed in its entirety at the end of the 4th century BC. The theatre appears to have been in use up to and including the 3rd century AD.
The basic parts of the ancient theatre are clearly recognized: the stage building, orchestra and cavea. The cavea is encircled by two poros-stone retaining walls and is divided by staircases into wedge-shaped cunei, which radiate out from the orchestra, drawn from three centres. This invention gives the theatre excellent acoustics. The capacity of the theatre was around 13 000 – 14 000 people.
In the 2nd century BC, the structure was adapted to feature dramas. A few statues discovered during the excavations form just a sample of the sculptures decorating the stage building. Today the stage building is preserved as a low ruin.
Today, it is used for the performance of ancient drama plays. The first modern performance conducted at the theatre in 1938 was Sophocles’ tragedy Electra. Performances stopped during WWII but began again in 1954. In 1955 an annual events were established for the presentation of ancient dramas. The Epidaurus Festival continues today during the summer months.
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Archaeological Remains
The first excavation of the theatre began in 1881 by the Archaeological Society, under the direction of archaeologist Panayis Kavvadias. It has been preserved in exceptionally good condition thanks to the restorations of P. Kavvadias (1907), A. Orlandos (1954-1963) and the Preservation Committee for Epidaurus Monuments (1988 to 2016). The theatre has been recovered almost entirely in its originally form except for the stage building.
The monument retains the characteristic of a Hellenistic theatre that has an auditorium, orchestra and staging building. The auditorium is vertically divided into two unequal parts, the lower hollow or theatre and the upper theatre or amphitheatre. The two sub-sections are separated by a horizontal corridor for the movement of the frieze. The lower part of the auditorium is divided into 12 sections, while the upper part is divided into 22 sections. The lower rows of the upper and lower auditoriums have a presidency form which was reserved for important people.
The circular orchestra, with a diameter of 20 m, constitutes the centre of the theatre. In the centre is a circular stone plate, the base of the altar. The orchestra is surrounded by a special underground drainage pipeline of 1.99 m width, called the euripus which was covered by a circular stone walkway.
Opposite the auditorium and behind the orchestra sits the stage building of the theatre. It dates to the Hellenistic period and consisted of a two-storey stage building and a proscenium in front of the stage. There was a colonnade in front of the proscenium and on both of its sides, the two back stages slightly protruded. East and west of the two backstage there were two small rectangular rooms for the performers. Two ramps lead to the roof of the proscenium, the logeion, where the actors later played. Finally, the theatre had two gates.
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Interest For Today
The discovery of the ancient theatre at Epidaurus was connected to the constant demands to use ancient facilities for cultural and commercial purposes. Due to this, repairs were started in 1907 to the western aisle and retaining wall. Restoration resumed after WWII and focused on making the monument safe and suitable for performances.
Since 1938, hundreds of theatrical plays have been performed. The famous Epidaurus Festival was launched in 1954. Its name changed in later years to the Athens-Epidaurus Festival. It is held every summer and features both acclaimed dramas from the past and contemporary plays that are performed not only in Athens but also the ancient theatre.
Location
The temple site is northeast of Peloponnese peninsula about 125 km from Athens. Corinth is 35.8 km away and Mycenae 37.7 km.
Address: Τ.Κ. 21052, Lιgourio, Epidaurus (Prefecture of Argolida)
Tourist Information
The site is open daily during the winter from 08:00 – 17:00 and in the summer from 08:00 – 20:00.
Tickets in 2020 from are €12 for adults and €6 for children. The tickets are valid for both the archaeological site and the museum (Archaeological Museum of Asklepion Epidaurus).
Contact details:
- Telephone: +30 27530 22009
- Fax: +30 27530 22834
- Email: efaarg@culture.gr
