Ancient Theater of Filippoi

The ancient theatre of the city of Filippoi is a remarkable and important monument. It is located at the base of the hill of the Acropolis and next to the eastern wall of the city. The city went through several phases and the theatre has undergone many changes over the centuries.

From its initial phase, modern with the city wall, which dates back to the time of Filippi II, the retaining walls of the hole, the tracks and part of the ramp that led to the eastern passage are preserved. The building was made of wood. At this time the orchestra was shaped like a petal.

At the time of Roman colonization, changes are made in the theatre to adapt them to new shows. The orchestra is located with large marble slabs and a high wall is built to protect the spectators during shows with beasts. The theatre acquires a typical Roman shape by housing the rails, extending the seats and building new walls in the rails, which have brought large loads of upholstery. The stage building has three floors in the south and two floors in the north side of the orchestra. The north face is organized with seven recesses and five door openings. On the south side, the lower arcade consists of seven spaces that communicate with the openings of the arched doors. The south face of the pillars of the column is covered with marble relief plates in two rows. In the lower row are Maenads and a male figure most likely identified with the Thracian king, Lykourgos. The upper row of plates is adorned with faces of satyrs, ritual vases with fruits and sacred animals of Dionysus. Although the theatre also becomes an arena with the demolition of the courtyard and the elevation of the sub-floor to the level of the orchestra, which grows and becomes circular, eliminating the first two rows of seats in the cavity and building a stone parapet and railings for the protection of the spectators. Even an underground area under the demolished patio served to carry the beasts to the sand. The addition of the epitheater increases the capacity of the theatre. In the arch of the west step are carved reliefs of Nemesis, Mars and Nike, deities related to duels and hunts. The two retaining arches were constructed by means of which the loads from the eastern retaining wall were transferred to the adjacent wall.

During the period of primitive Christianity and early Byzantine (V-VI BC), the scene of the theatrical scene and the wider area of ​​the theater are transformed into workshops. With the destruction of the building of the scene by a fire, possibly related to the great earthquake that destroyed the city of Filippoi at the end of the 6th century, the systematic grid of the theater begins.

The first excavations were carried out by the French Archaeological School from 1921 to 1937. During the years 1957-1962, the Hellenic Archaeological Service carried out excavation and restoration works for the theater operation. Subsequently, the archbishop of Crete makes preliminary excavations. The excavation and restoration work was carried out from 1994 to 2000, which began with the financing of the European Commission's program "Monuments and scenic venues" and continued as a project of the 2nd MCA.

During this period, the eastern retaining wall of the hole was restored and the restoration of the two retaining arches followed.
From 2001 to today, at the end of 2008, the excavation and restoration work continues with the incorporation of the project in TEDPEAE and the financing of the 3rd MCA with the Scientific Committee of Supervision, of which the president for the period 2001-2004 was Haidou Koukouli -Chrysanthaki and since 2005 Zissis Bonias. In the Philippoi Theater as a work of TEDPEAE. Restoration work continued in the stage building, the stairs, the lanes, the orchestra, the pavement in the paved square and the last phase in the western wall of the hole. The eastern wall of the city was also excavated and cleaned in the section adjacent to the theater. At the end of 2008, the program of excavation and restoration of the theater was completed, leaving only the restoration of the hole. Every summer a festival is held in the old theater of Filippoi and there are theatrical and musical performances. This is one of the most important festivals in Greece. The festival began in 1957 and the first featured show was Electra by Euripides, starring Malina Anousaki and Kostas Livadas. In 1961, the newly founded State Theater of Northern Greece opens with the inaugural presentation in

the old theater, and is connected closely with the remaining festival and organizer until 1983. Since 1984 and for the next 25 years, the municipality of Kavala and the Municipal Theater of the North of Greece celebrated the organization of the festival. It takes place mainly in the old theater of Filippoi, from July to August. Even so, many events and productions also took place within the city, in the Fortress and in other well-known and lesser-known parts of Kavala. Since 1957, it has attracted thousands of Greek and foreign visitors. During the festival, the public can choose between classical drama performances (comedy and tragedy), as well as contemporary works, concerts by prominent artists, orchestras, dance and show ensembles, poetry nights and exhibitions, as well as many other parallels events, which together create a multidimensional program for one of the oldest Greek festivals.