The ancient theatre of Phthiotic Thebes

The ancient city of Phthiotic Thebes is located near the contemporary village Microthebes, which is situated on a rectangular hill created by volcanic lava. The city was established in the archaic period and during the 4^th c. BC and played a leading role among the cities of Achaean Phthiotis. The port of the city, at the present location of Nea Anchialos, was called Pyrassos.

The first excavations started ​​in the decade of 1990 and brought into light finds from the temple of Polias Athena (6^th-2^nd c. AD), the temple of Asclepios (4^th-1^st c. BC), the ancient theater (4^th c. BC-4^th c. AD), the Hellenistic houses and the cemeteries. The archaeologists estimate that the finds are from the archaic period, the Hellenistic period and the Roman times.

The ancient theatre of Phthiotic Thebes 

The ancient theatre of Phthiotic Thebes is located east of the modern village of Mikrothives and 4 km south of Nea Anchialos and the Pagasetic Gulf. With a maximum capacity of 3,000 spectators, the theatre was used for ancient drama, musical contests and, in the Roman period, wild beast fights and gladiatorial games.

The research of the theatre has not been completed yet. The theatre was constructed of carved parallelepiped volcanic stones. The auditorium of the theater is divided by a paved runway, the frieze, in two parts: the upper and the lower theater. The upper part has yet to be excavated. The only find up to now is the beginning of a stone upstage staircase. In the lower theater scene only the central part has been researched where eleven bench rows have been discovered which are separated by three stone stairway, width 60 cm, in three tiers.

The lower theater part initially had fifteen rows of benches and eight stairways which were split in seven tiers.  Τhe comparative advantage of this specific theater is that, not only the whole construction has been saved, but its natural environment also remains intact.