The ancient theatre of Epidaurus The still in use Theatre of Epidaurus is world famous for its excellent condition and flawless acoustics. But there is more to Epidaurus than just the theatre: it was once a huge religious centre dedicated to the god of healing - Asklepios. Situated just east of Nafplio, and was in use from the 6th century BC to the 2nd AD, Epidaurus is a must see for anyone with even a slight interest in ancient history. The Theatre of Epidaurus was built in the 4th century BC by Polykleitos the Younger and thankfully for it remote location much of it is still intact today, never having the pilfering as other ancient sites have had over the millennia. The theatre became over grown and buried, believed to be just a hollow in the side of a hill until it was discovered in the 19th century. Theatre is 114m (374ft) across and has 35 rows of seats divided into 34 blocks by stairs and walkways. The bottom tier of 12 blocks was the original theatre built in the 4th century BC, the top tier of 21 blocks was built much later during the Roman period. The theatre is still in use today with actors coming from all over the world to perform there. The orchestra or stage is 20m (60ft) and the only one to survive from antiquity. The theatre is marveled for its exceptional acoustics, which permit perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken word from the proskenion or skênê to all 15,000 spectators, regardless of their seating. Famously, tour guides have their groups scattered in the stands and show them how they can easily hear the sound of a match struck at center-stage. A 2007 study by Nico F. Declercq and Cindy Dekeyser of the Georgia Institute of Technology indicates that the astonishing acoustic properties may be the result of the advanced design: The rows of limestone seats filter out low-frequency sounds, such as the murmur of the crowd, and amplify high-frequency sounds from the stage. ~ Phoenix ~
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 09:23:59 +0000
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