The ancient Greek theatre of Maroneia, located in the northeast part of Greece, will open for a performance in August nearly 23 centuries after the last one took place. The performance will take place on August 29th, with the first hostess being Greek actress Lydia Koniordou. She will present Euripides’ Monologues and is being directed by Thodoris Gonis.
Excavations on the site began in 1981 and halted in 1994. They began again in 2000 under the direction of archaeologist Chryssa Gonis and were carried out by the culture ministry. The theatre was used during three distinct periods, first during the Hellenistic period of the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BC, then during the Roman era when it was used as an arena. Lastly, it was used in post-Roman and early Byzantine eras as an arena.
According to the archeologist, “Restoration works focused on the Roman phase, which was best preserved compared to the other two,” said Karadima.
The theatre is located south of the small village of Maroneia, which is southeast of Komotini in the prefecture Rodopi. The village is just off the sea and not far from the borders with Bulgaria and Turkey. The nearest airport is in Alexandroupolis, about 50 kilometers to the east.
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