The Theater of Argos

A Century of Excavations (1890 and 1990), Seven Centuries of Ancient Architecture and Performances (3rd century BC - 4th century AD)

The theater of Argos (Greece, 37.631598N, 22.719589E) is located at the foot of the promontory formed by the city's acropolis, Larissa, at the southern end of its eastern flank. It was excavated sporadically over a century, between 1890 and 1990, under the direction of archaeologists of various origins, successively Greek, Dutch, Belgian, and French. The building was constructed during the early decades of the 3rd century BC when the Argives, after taking control of Cleonae and the sanctuary of Nemea, decided to celebrate the Nemean Games in their city and enrich them with dramatic, choral, and musical competitions. It combined a koilon with more than 20,000 seats, a stage building with a proskenion and an axial underground passage, and a portico attached to the skene. Partially transformed during the Hellenistic period, it underwent extensive alterations during the Imperial period, adopting the model of the Latin stage building. The orchestra was first converted to host hunts and gladiatorial combats, then transformed into a pool for aquatic shows. Awnings (vela) were installed over the tiers of seats.

Dr. Jean-Charles Moretti, archaeologist and historian of ancient architecture, research director at the CNRS (France), is the lead researcher for this Shelby White and Leon Levy Program project.