Ancient Theatre of Thorikos

The Ancient Theatre of Thorikos, near Lavrio in eastern Attica, ranks among the oldest known stone theatres in Greece, built roughly between 525 and 480 BC. It served Thorikos, a settlement counted among the twelve original communities united to form Archaic Athens, and it sits close to the Laurion mines, where lead and silver were extracted in antiquity. Unusually, its seating runs oblong rather than in a perfect semicircle. Excavation and consolidation work continued across the twentieth century, and the site remains a striking witness to classical civic life.