It was built on the slope of the mountain northeast from the Sanctuary of Asklepios, god of Medicine, and it became famous since that time for being the prettiest of all the Greek theatres, known also for its almost perfect acoustics.
The circular orchestra has a centre altar of Dionysus. The cavea has the shape of a fan, with 34 rows of setas, divided into 12 sectors by stairs.
© Photo credits by Olecorre under CC-BY-SA 3.0
Beyond the semicircular corridor (diazoma), at a later period, there were added 21 new rows of seats: the cavea has a capacity of 20,000 spectators.
The first and the last row of the lower part and the first of the upper part had seats with backs and these seats were reserved for distinguished citizens.
Do you want to know more about Epidaurus and the history of Greece?
Check out our guidebook to Ancient Greece, with detailed history and Past & Present images of the Acropolis, the Parthenon, Epidaurus and all the greatest historical and archaeological sites of Ancient Greece.
