By John Freedman
Originally posted elsewhere June 17, 2019
Reposted on Contemplating Crete April 11, 2021
One year ago this marvelous old Greek theater about 20 minutes east of Chania was reopened and used for its original purpose for the first time in 1,700 years. Fittingly the performances on June 18 to 25, 2018, were dramatic readings of excerpts from Homer’s The Odyssey. It is located in the old Cretan settlement of Aptera on a hill above Souda Bay. Most of what we see here dates to the Hellenistic period (roughly 500 to 67 BC) and to changes made around 100 AD. in the Roman period. Much was lost, of course. Some scholars believe the cavea (seating areas) were significantly larger – probably two or three times what we have now. The orchestra (the dancing area between the stage and cavea) and the stage foundation (thought to be from the later Roman period) are in excellent condition. For years the theater was more or less buried under olive groves and parts of the cavea were destroyed by a farmer who owned the land, as he used many of the stones to build a limekiln in the middle of the seats. The simple, but effective drainage system keeping the entryways and orchestra dry still function well, directing water to underground tunnels that carry water away from the theater. The ancient city of Aptera (usually stressed on the first syllable, as opposed to the nearby contemporary village of Aptera which is pronounced as aptEra) dates at least to the 14th century BC in the Late Minoan period. Long stretches of the city walls built around 300 BC are intact today, while several Roman ruins are located a few minutes walk from the theater. More about them another time. Greek myth has it that Aptera (meaning “wingless” in Greek) was founded following a musical competition among the Muses and the Sirens. When the Muses defeated the Sirens, the latter were deprived of their wings and thrown to oblivion in Souda Bay below. All text and photos © 2019 John Freedman. If you wish to reproduce, repost or use any of the text or any photo, please ask for permission. Copyright © renewed 2021 John Freedman.
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