The Theater of Ancient Gitana

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A Remarkable Ancient Greek Theater in the Heart of Epirus

The Theatre was built in the mid-3^rd century BC. It is located just outside the walls of Ancient Gitana, and perches against the foot of the settlement. Ancient Gitana was undoubtedly the most significant settlement in the area during the late Classical and Hellenistic period. The town served as a political center for the Thesprotians until its destruction by the Romans in 167 BC. The town apart from being naturally protected, it was fortified by strong walls. The walls are preserved in a fair condition, over most of its length, with the exception of the NE side, where it is only fragmentarily preserved. The city was home to 10,000 people, and only about 5% of it has so far been excavated.

The theatre itself was protected by a rampart and by the river Thyamis on three sides. The river was navigable at the time, ensuring easy access to the Ionian Sea. Only a small part of the theatre has been excavated so far, including part of the cavea, the orchestra, and part of the stage. The cavea with a maximum diameter of 65 meters, consists of 28 rows of benches, formed in two tiers, while four staircases divide the construction into five gradins. The benches ware made with limestone, while part of the cavea seems to have been hewn directly on the conglomerate rocky substrate that was obviously covered by whitewash mortar. The stage was rectangular and comprised an internal row of supporting piers. It was 15.5 meters long, with twelve monolithic semi-columns and had a roof covered with tiles.

What is intriguing about the Gitana theatre is that two names are inscribed on each one of the lower seats. About 100 such names have been identified including, those of Menedamos, Charopidas, Pausanias, Timodamos, Antinous, Alexandros, Cephalos, Dokimos, Nikomachos, Nikostratos, etc. According to one theory, the first name belonged to the slave owner and the second to the slave he had set free.

Since 2000, restoration works have been carried out on the lower tier and other sections of the ancient monument. The restoration project is now focusing on the second and third concentric semicircular rows of seats that form the upper tiers of the large auditorium. However, restoration works must proceed fast as intense erosion by the nearby Kalamas river causes serious problems to the theatre, especially when the river floods and the water covers the stage, the orchestra and the front seats.   

Photo: © Μαυρόγιαννης Παύλος - Wikimedia