The Theatre of ancient Gitana
The Theatre of ancient Gitana is located in Gitana, Municipality of Philiates, Thesprotia Prefecture.
The Theatre of ancient Gitana
The Theatre of ancient Gitana is located in Gitana, Municipality of Philiates, Thesprotia Prefecture.
It was built in the mid-3rd century BC, a time of increased building activity in Epirus, and destroyed by the Romans in 167 BC.
The theatre is built on the lower level of the settlement, outside the walls, and is protected by a rampart. Further natural protection is afforded by the River Kalamas, towards which it is oriented.
It seems that the theatre was originally built of stone, mainly using white limestone. The orchestra forms a full circle which contains an inscribed square and is intersected by the proscenium. The cavea consists of 28 tiers of seats with two passageways, while there may also have been an epitheatre. Four staircases have been revealed, dividing the cavea into five cunei to which must be added a further two – now half-ruined – at the outer edges of the cavea.
The theatre seats are made of carefully-dressed limestone, and many bear incised inscriptions with names on the front side. The retaining walls which supported the cavea have not been fully uncovered.
The stage is a rectangular stone building measuring 15.50 x 5.50 m. Inside it was discovered a colonnade consisting of seven rectangular pillars, which would have supported the roof of the stage building. In the centre of the stage is a doorway through which the actors would have entered, while the floor is made of rubble and beaten earth.
The façade of the stage forms a proscenium whose stylobate (base) is preserved to a length of 15.50 m. and an average width of 0.50 m. There were square parascenia on either side of the stage.
Intense erosion by the nearby River Kalamas causes serious problems to the theatre area and makes it imperative to take the necessary measures. When the Kalamas floods its banks, water covers the stage, the orchestra and the front tiers of seats. The circulation of underground water, which contributes to the erosion of the already crumbling limestone bedrock of the area, has caused the whole cavea to slope to the west, shifting the seats from their original position.
Following the completion of the work to promote the archaeological site of Gitana, in June 2009, the theatre is incorporated in the visitors’ route.
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