The Theater of Nicopolis, the City of Augustus

Presenters

Anthi Aggeli, Ephorate of Antiquities of Preveza

Abstract

After the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at Actium, Augustus founded a new city, which he aptly named Nicopolis (“City of Victory”) in the region where the epoch-making events of 31 B.C.E. had taken place. From the beginning, Nicopolis was marked as the venue for the celebration of the festival of the Actia, which before 31 B.C.E. had been held in the sanctuary of Apollo Actius in Anactorium on the Ambracian Gulf. The festival of the New Actia was held north of the city, in the area called by Strabo the “suburb” (προάστειον), which included the necessary buildings and infrastructure for the celebration of the games. One of the monuments related to the famous games was the theater of Nicopolis, which belongs to the original Augustan building program and meant to serve as the venue of the musical contests.

Despite the fact that the monument had been standing visible for centuries, it was excavated and properly studied only in the last decade or so. The excavation, restoration, and conservation project of the monument was based on the standards set by the master plan for the enhancement of the archaeological site of Nicopolis and was financed by the NSRF 2007–2014 and NSRF 2014–2020 EU Programs. The major excavation program revealed the interior of the monument and produced important archaeological evidence on the architecture of the theater, which underwent at least two major renovations after its construction. In fact, the theater of Nicopolis is one of the few early imperial theatrical buildings in mainland Greece to have been constructed from scratch, rather than on the site of a preexisting remodified Hellenistic structure.

The data that have emerged from the intensive archaeological investigation of this impressive monument were used to conduct special studies for its conservation and restoration, according to the international conventions on restoration, especially the Venice Charter. Although several parts of the theater still stand to an impressive height, much of its building material is missing, since it was slowly but steadily taken away after the abandonment of the monument, to be used in other structures in the city of Nicopolis. Bearing this in mind, the complexity of the aims of the restoration project (conservation, partial restoration, and partial use for cultural activities) had to balance with the image of the ruin and preserve the monument’s integrity. After the completion of the restoration works, we believe that we are able deliver the theater of Nicopolis to the public as the common property of the society and a valuable gift to community, promoting and celebrating its educational, historical, and cultural values.