Butrint Ancient Theatre

Built around the middle of the 3rd century BC, the theatre was paid for from the revenues of the cult of Asclepius, as a dedication on its second row of seats r…Built around the middle of the 3rd century BC, the theatre was paid for from the revenues of the cult of Asclepius, as a dedication on its second row of seats records. The lower tier of seating, the orchestra, the side entrances and the stage survive, with six radial stairways climbing the cavea.

Under Roman rule the Greek stage was replaced and the seating was extended over the neighbouring Shrine of Asclepius. Statues that decorated the stage front included portrait heads of Augustus, Livia and Agrippa. The Italian archaeologist Luigi Maria Ugolini began digging here at the end of May 1928, and groundwater covers part of the floor for most of the year.