Following a decade of excavation efforts, archaeologists unearthed the remains of an ancient Greek amphitheater—the first of its kind to be discovered on the Ionian Islands.
Ionian Islands Discovery Is “Important and Imposing”
The ancient Greek amphitheater stands on a hillside in Lefkada, once a powerful city-state off the west coast of Greece. Construction on the theater likely began around the 4th century BCE, when Lefkada was especially prosperous. While the upper portion of the building has not been well preserved, archaeologists have been able to study its cavea, orchestra pit, much of the stage, and various walls.
The cavea, or semicircular seating area, could have hosted about 3,500 spectators, and the orchestra pit had been carved into natural rock in a perfect circle of about 54 feet in diameter. However, construction on the theater appears to never have been finished. If it had been completed, the theater’s seating capacity might have been much greater.
A research team from the Ephorate of Antiquities of Aitoloakarnania and Lefkada has been working on the Ionian Islands excavation project for the past decade. In a press statement, they said, “Although damaged by time, the theater, fully and harmoniously integrated into the geomorphology of the hill, with a panoramic view of the wider area, is undoubtedly the most important and imposing monument that has come to light in ancient Lefkada.”
Ancient and Archaeological History of Lefkada’s Amphitheater
Lefkada was founded by the Corinthians sometime before the 7th century BCE. The ancient city’s strategic position along major sea routes contributed to its growth and economic success. It eventually declined with the rise of the Roman Empire. The ruins of Lefkada’s ancient Greek amphitheater were first identified in 1901 by German archaeologist E. Kruger. The discovery was later noted by Kruger’s collaborator, Wilhelm Dörpfeld, in his 1927 volume Alt Ithaka. German archaeologists reburied the amphitheater after surveying it, and its location was soon lost again.
The general location of the theater was rediscovered in 1997, but systematic excavation efforts did not begin until 2015 with a careful examination of the site, which had been obscured by olive groves and later structures—a process deemed “particularly difficult and demanding” by archaeologists. Next, the research team plans to survey the theater’s upper cavea and part of its stage. They are also awaiting approval for plans to conserve the theater.
