Epidaurus

Ancient Theater of Epidaurus, Miracle of Acoustics
The ancient theater of Epidaurus: It is considered the finest ancient Greek theater in terms of acoustics and aesthetics. It was built at the end of the 4th century BC and its capacity amounts to 13,000 spectators. The theater has operated for several centuries, but natural disasters and human interventions resulted in the desolation of this space. The ancient theater was discovered after excavations that were carried out by archaeologist P. Kavvadias, under the auspices of the Athenian Archaeological Society during 1870-1926. A few years later, in 1938 the first performance took place at the site of the ancient theater of Epidaurus. The show was Sophocles’ tragedy –“ Electra:”. Then the performances stopped due to the Second World War. In the early 50’s, the theater received restoration work to accommodate a large number of viewers and since 1955 the Epidaurus Festival has been inaugurated, featuring performances every summer. It is worth mentioning that some of the greatest Greek and foreign actors have appeared in Epidaurus during the Epidaurus Festival. After wondering around, the visitor to the theater will be enchanted by the sights and monuments he will encounter, such as the sanctuary of Asclepius (375 BC) on the northern slope of the hill, the sanctuary of Apollo of the 4th century BC. the circular mysterious building -Theos-the-Xenon, the temples of Aphrodite, Artemis, Themis and other buildings of the time, the main ones of which are under maintenance and restoration. The theater of Epidaurus is famous for its excellent acoustics. “The smallest noise (a deep breath, the tearing of a paper) reaches clearly in the last row of seats,” says archeology professor S. Jacobidis. Many tourists, when visiting this theater, stand in the middle of the orchestra and recite poems, sing or even whisper to their friends sitting in the last row of seats. Impressed by the amazing way in which the sound is transmitted to every corner of this great amphitheater, the excellent acoustics of the theater of Epidaurus is attributed to its amphitheatrical, semi-circular shape.