During one of our afternoon drives towards the port of Lavrio five days ago, we decided to visit the ancient theatre of Thoriko for the second time.
There have been quite a few years since the last time I have visited this place- a childhood memory I dare to say- and it was the most appropriate day for an excursion to nature seeking the glory of the past. By a small detour from the main avenue, the past rises before your eyes proud, beautiful, ready to reveal itself if you are willing to pursue it. As we walked upwards the theatre along the cobbled path everything seemed so welcoming. There were changes in colors, the blue of the sky and the sea, the smells of the wildflowers, the bushes and the thymes, the sweet aura of this place was so overwhelming.
Even though the cold was nippy, it didn’t prevent us from moving forward. The view from the top of the theatre is captivating. The Aegean Sea in front of you, the fields with the several hundred years old olive trees at your back. Our ancestors knew for sure where to place their buildings! The tour around this beloved place took quite a while, as in every corner you had something to discover, something to admire! I could not stop taking photos in my attempt to capture some of the beauty of the ancient theatre at the village of Thoriko.
When I sat for a while at the terraces of the theatre, in order to feel with my soul what this place had to offer, to imagine how many performances had taken place here, how many people experienced them, how much art culture, wisdom was being offered, I knew I had to find out as much possible I could about Thoriko. So, after a little study I decided to make this post.
The ancient theatre of Thoriko is very interesting due to its peculiarity. It is one hidden and untapped treasure so far, which is located just before the entrance of the city of Lavrio and some kilometers away from the temple of Poseidon in Sounio in an amphitheatric slide of the hill Velatouri. It is the most ancient theatre in Greece and one of the most ancient ones in the world. It is also unique due to its quirky ecliptic shape which is on the contrast to the usual half-shaped structure of the theatres. The orchestra pit is in the shape of a rectangle sized at about 16x30m. The theatre has 21 rows and can host 4000 spectators.
The theatre of Thoriko, which is built with local off-green limestone is dated between 525 and 480 B.C. Bearing inscriptions from the 5th and 4th century show that in the theatre it was taught drama, whilst it was also used as a place for the public meetings in order for important decisions, concerning the town, to be made. The area around the theatre, southern the main stage, there was a cemetery, which was used at the same period as the theatre. On the top of the hill and northern to the theatre, the archaeological pickaxes have brought to light arched tombs from the Mycenaean era (1600-1100 B.C.), where the biggest Mycenaean era’s tomb is also found.
South of the place is also found a big Dorian structure from the 5th century B.C., in the shape of a double galleria, which became known as the temple of the goddess Dimitra and her daughter’s. According to mythology the goddess was imprisoned there by pirates but managed to escape and went to Elefsina. The temple was looted by smugglers as it is clearly depicted at the below copperplate from 1758.
J.D Le Roy, Paris 1758 source
At the west side of the orchestra pit there is a small temple of god Dionysus from which only some foundations are still in place. The theatre had also rooms for the actors to stay in, as well as many more rooms for feasts, a house with exterior area, craft places, gallerias. The findings for the area of Thoriko though, do not end here. Right next to the theatre there was one of the oldest “laundries” for ore or as it is also known the “katharistirion”. Great smiths of that time had invented a construction where the water used for cleaning the ore, was self-cleaned and being reused for the same purpose. Next to the theatre was also the flat laundry for it, as it is shown in the following photo.
Great amount of silver and lead was excavated from a cave beside the laundry. That silver was used to make the first Attic quadrachma, Athenian coin, which was used for up to five centuries. On the one side of the coin, goddess Athena was illustrated and on the other the owl. These specific mines were one very important source of funding, from which 100 triremes were built for the famous Athenian fleet by Themistocles.
The area was abandoned after the mines were run out and been destroyed by the Roman emperor Syllas in 86 B.C.
Archaelogical excavations were conducted by the Dilettanti Society, the American School of Classical Studies( 1885-1886theatre), the Athens Archeological Society (1893 prehistoric monuments, 2001 doric building) and 1963 on by the Belgian Archaelogical Institute, in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities in Attica.
These days, theatre of Thoriko,unfortunatelly, is abandoned by the greek goverment..We are all expected something better for our glorious past..
References
Thoricus - Wikipedia
diazoma.gr
odysseus.culture
Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports ephoporate of Antiquities of East Attica
