Small theater of Ancient Amvrakia

The so-called "small" theater of Ambracia is the smallest of the ancient Greek theaters that have been discovered to date. It is located in the center of the ancient city, near Agios Konstantinos, a short distance from the late archaic temple of Apollo. As its general architectural form shows, it was built in the late 4th - early 3rd century BC, during the reign of Pyrrhus. The city then, as the capital of the kingdom, experienced great prosperity and, in addition to the small theater, the large theater was built near the temple of Apollo, and the prytaneion, which was discovered next to the temple. The theater was not built on a natural hill but on an embanked slope. The embankment to support the cavea had been made on foundations and mosaic floors of baths, dating back to the mid-4th century BC. The orchestra, part of the cavea and the aisles, as well as the western part of the stylobate of the proscenium have been revealed from the monument. The cavea is made of good quality limestone. It is divided into three stands by two steps and had stone seats, while the absence of a presidium, that is, official positions in the first row, is notable. Three rows of seats have survived in the two side stands and four in the central one. The orchestra has the shape of a perfect circle, with a diameter of 6.70 m. The proscenium was a stone building 10 m long and its facade was probably adorned with six Ionic semi-columns. The excavation of the theater began on the occasion of the excavation of foundations for the construction of a new building in 1976.