The Ancient Theatre
The theatre is the most imposing monument of the ancient city of Eretria, presenting many similarities to the
theatre of Dionysos in Athens.
It was built in the 5th century BC and continued to be used in the 4th century BC, the period when the whole city flourished. It was destroyed by the Romans in 198 BC, and was subsequently rebuilt, but of cheaper material. Unfortunately, the greater part of the rows
of stone benches of the cavea has been removed. Impressive, though, are the preserved remains of the
stage, and the
underground vaulted passage
that leads to the centre of the orchestra. The monument was excavated at the end of the 19th century by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
The Temple of Apollo Daphnephoros
The ruins of the temple in the
sanctuary of Apollo
belong to many
successive architectural phases.
The first temple, an apsidal "hekatompedon" (100 feet long), was constructed in the 8th century BC and is roughly contemporary with a much smaller apsidal building to the south, the so-called
"Daphnephoreion"
(laurel-hut), which is connected with the early cult of Apollo at
Delphi.
Early in the 6th century BC a peripteral Ionic temple was erected on the ruins of the Geometric one. A new peripteral temple, having six Doric columns on the narrow sides and
fourteen on the long ones, was built at the end of the 6th century BC. This temple was destroyed during the Persian invasion in 490 BC, and its ruins are the ones visible today. Several more buildings, also connected with the worship of Apollo, have been uncovered in the area of the sanctuary. The temple was excavated in 1899-1910 by K. Kourouniotes, and the surrounding area was further investigated by I. Konstantinou and the Swiss School of
Archeaology at Athens.
The House with the Mosaics
This splendid house was built in ca. 370 BC and remained in use for about a century. It is distinguished by its floors, covered with elegant
pebble mosaics
representing mythological scenes:
Nereid on the back of a seahorse,
legendary battles between Arimaspians and griffins, sphinxes and panthers. The building is a representative specimen of the Classical and Hellenistic domestic architecture. In the 1st century BC a funerary monument with a massive rectangular peribolos was erected over the ruins of the house. The monument was excavated between 1975 and 1980, and was restored in 1990 by the Swiss School of Archaeology in Greece, under the supervision of the Greek Archaeological Service.
The Ancient Tholos
Excavations carried out by the Greek Archaeological Service have revealed the limestone foundations and crepis of a circular building. It was erected in the 5th century BC in the Agora of the city, and underwent several modifications in the 4th and the 3rd centuries BC. A circular bothros has also survived at the centre of the monument.
The Macedonian Tomb of Erotes
Macedonian vaulted tomb made of local poros stone, covered by an earthen tumulus. Two thrones and two marble couch-shaped sarcophagi were found inside the burial chamber. The tomb was built in the 4th century BC and is also known as the "Tomb of the Erotes" because of the terracotta Erotides found inside the chamber. The tomb was excavated in 1897; it is generally preserved in a good condition but, whenever necessary, restoration work is carried out by the 11th Ephorate of Antiquities.
