Ancient Theatre of Lindos

Lindos, Greece

The ancient theatre of Lindos lies at the foot of the west slope of the rock of the Lindos acropolis. It had 19 rows of seats, most of them carved into the rock although somewere built, as were the endmost cunei and the side retaining walls, which  do  not survive. Today only the rock-carved sections are preserved: the circular orchestra, the three central cunei of the lower cavea and parts of the two neighbouring ones, and the central section of the upper cavea.  The orchestra of the theatre is circular, also carved into the rock.

The theatre is dated to the 4th century BCE and had a capacity of 1,800-2,000 spectators. It is connected to the great city festivals in honour of Dionysos, the Sminthia, which included theatrical, musical and athletic competitions, processions and sacrifices. In the 3rd century BCE, directly adjacent to the theatre was built the Tetrastoon, a rectangular building with an internal colonnade, perhaps a sanctuary of Dionysos Smintheus.

References:

Comments

Your name



Address

Lindos, Greece
See all sites in Lindos

Details

Founded: 4th century BCE
Category: Religious sites in Greece

More Information

www.diazoma.gr

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Stephen Rubenstein (11 months ago)
Impressive ruins from the 4th century BC theatre of Lindos set at the base of the Acropolis. It's not accessible and you can only see it though a fence. Still worth seeking out and viewing. Back in the day it seated as much as 1500 people. Note, despite some of the reviews suggesting otherwise, it's not part of the Acropolis and there is no cover charge. There is a small information board with details about the history.
Jarrod Hunt (13 months ago)
It's behind a fence so you can't get close to it, which is a real shame. Would have been mighty impressive back in the day, seating for 2000 people. Very impressive
Paul Hengeveld (13 months ago)
Great site. Amazing views from the acropolis. Ticket price is steep (€11). Come early, because it gets extremely crowded in peak season and the greek summer sun can be merciless. I would recommend getting there at 8am, as the package tourism crowds start arriving from 9am onwards.
D jiricka (14 months ago)
You can see this ancient theatre only behind the fence and it's good,because I know how unrespectful tourists can be. You should imagine how magnificent it was. There is also a board to show you ,how how did it look like. Good stop before climb to acropolis.
Natália Leal (15 months ago)
Old theatre ruins, worth the detour if you are in Lindos, but not much else to see (you can't get too close, it's fenced).
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Broch of Gurness

The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.

The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.