Photo: © allovergreece.com
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A Historic Ancient Theatre in Macedonia, Greece
The theater was part of the ancient city of Mieza, which lies at the foot of Vermio Mountain, on the natural terraces formed to the east of the modern town of Naoussa and the villages of Kopanos and Lefkadia. Mieza has been one of the major cities of the Macedonian kingdom the period of its prosperity (4th-2nd century BC). The ancient theater was discovered in 1992 and excavated gradually during 1993-1995, 1998, 2007-2008, and 2011-2013. The first phase of the conservation and restoration project of the theater was held in 2007-2008. The restoration and enhancement of the monument was completed during the years 2022-2014. Conservation and restoration work, were carried out by the 17th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities. The theatre of Mieza is an important monument of the archaeological site, open to the public and free to enter.
Its plan reveals an unusual combination of Greek and Roman elements. The theater consists of an orchestra, a cavea laid out on the slope of a hill with tiers of poros stone seats and a stone stage building. The orchestra forms a regular semicircle, extending along the tangents at its ends towards the stage building and has a diameter of 22 meters. The cavea is set on a natural slope, partly carved out of the bedrock. Four staircases divide it into five zones. The tiers of seats and the staircases are made of soft local poros stone. Despite the poor state of preservation of the stage building, we still can distinguish the proscenium, the main stage building with two parascenia adjoining its ends, and a larger building adjacent to it.
Archaeological research produced evidence of three distinct phases in the construction of the building. The earliest dates from the late Classical or early Hellenistic period. After the middle of the 2nd century BC, a new theater with a stone stage was built, probably smaller than the Hellenistic one. Its partial collapse after an earthquake, possibly around the 2nd century AD, led to the repair of part of the stage and the construction of roughly built supporting walls on the bedrock. Based on numismatic evidence and pottery from the excavation layers, the theater seems to be in use until the 4th century AD. After the abandonment of the building, the place was used as a cemetery and a quarry. The archaeological research brought to light numerous finds, mainly pottery, coins, glass, bronze and iron objects, which date from the end of the 2nd or the early of the 1st millennium BC to the Roman era.
Photo: © allovergreece.com
Ancient Theater of Mieza Map
GPS Coordinates 40.64419, 22.12245
