The
ancient theatre is situated at the suburb of Agia Kyriaki. Today, the
visitor can see the monument at the last period of its construction, which
dates back to the Post-Roman years.
The shape of the orchestra is
circular, with a diameter of 24.20 meters. Above the orchestra there is a
concave surface specially transformed for the audience. This concave
surface, which was covered by a wall made of marble, is totally destroyed.
Three corridors divide the stage. In the middle there was found a
constructed drain so as the waters of the rain can flow away. In the west
side of the orchestra, there are two rooms carved on the rock of the
concave surface.
The discovery of the theater seats and other
architectural parts of the theater prove that the first period of the
Theater's construction dates back to the early Hellenistic era. These
founds had been discovered either on the spot or had been used for the
construction of the Castle of Mytilini. During the Post-Roman era, the
Theater had been reconstructed. It is believed that at the concave
surface, having the shape of petal, 10.000 spectators could watch the
spectacle. As far as the acoustics of the Theater are concerned, this one
is considered similar with the Theater of Epidaurus.
Ploutarchos, in his manuscript, "The Pompiios' s
life" (Pompiios, 42), has preserved the information that the Roman general
admired the Theater of Mytilini and made a copy of it, which he used for
the construction of Rome's Theater in 55 p. C. During 1968, the
antiquities' curator, B. Petrakos proceeded to the erection of the
orchestra' s circular wall, as well as to the restoration of the two
rooms, in the west side of the orchestra. The Τheater is officially
declared archaeological site (at the beginning by the ministerial decision
33746/1924/11.4.60, ΦΕΚ 199/Β΄/11.5.60, and later it was included in the
declaration of the town of Mytilini as an archaeological site). The first
excavation research took place in 1928 by the Dimitrio Evangelidi, who, in
1958, repeated the research mostly there, where the orchestra and the
stage were situated. He also proceeded to the cleaning of the theater' s
area and made a plan of it, in 1967.
The
ancient theatre is situated at the suburb of Agia Kyriaki. Today, the
visitor can see the monument at the last period of its construction, which
dates back to the Post-Roman years. 
