Editing Delphi (section)

===Theatre===
[[File:Delfoi temple skyline view.jpg|thumb|The theatre at Delphi (as viewed near the top seats)]]

The ancient [[theatre]] at Delphi was built farther up the hill from the Temple of Apollo giving spectators a view of the entire sanctuary and the valley below.<ref>{{cite book | last=Bommelaer | first=J.-F. | publisher=Laroche, D. | title=Guide de Delphes: Le site | location=Paris | year=1991 | pages=207–212}}</ref> It was originally built in the fourth&nbsp;century&nbsp;BC, but was remodeled on several occasions, particularly in 160/159 B.C. at the expenses of king Eumenes II of Pergamon and, in 67 A.D., on the occasion of emperor Nero's visit.<ref name="b">[http://www.ancient-greece.org/architecture/delphi-theater.html Delphi Theater] at Ancient-Greece.org.</ref>

The koilon (cavea) leans against the natural slope of the mountain whereas its eastern part overrides a little torrent that led the water of the fountain Cassotis right underneath the temple of Apollo. The [[Theatre of ancient Greece#Orchestra|orchestra]] was initially a full circle with a diameter measuring seven meters. The rectangular scene building ended up in two arched openings, of which the foundations are preserved today. Access to the theatre was possible through the parodoi, i.e. the side corridors. On the support walls of the parodoi are engraved large numbers of [[Manumission inscriptions at Delphi|manumission inscriptions]] recording fictitious sales of the slaves to the deity. The koilon was divided horizontally in two zones via a corridor called diazoma. The lower zone had 27 rows of seats and the upper one only eight. Six radially arranged stairs divided the lower part of the koilon in seven tiers. The theatre could accommodate approximately 4,500 spectators.<ref>Bommelaer, J.-F. «Das Theater», in Maas, M. (ed), Delphi. Orakel am Nabel der Welt, Karlsruhe 1996, pp. 95–105</ref>

On the occasion of [[Nero]]'s visit to Greece in 67 A.D. various alterations took place. The orchestra was paved and delimited by a parapet made of stone. The [[proscenium]] was replaced by a low pedestal, the [[pulpitum]]; its façade was decorated in relief with scenes from myths about Hercules. Further repairs and transformations took place in the second century A.D. Pausanias mentions that these were carried out under the auspices of [[Herodes Atticus|Herod Atticus]]. In antiquity, the theatre was used for the vocal and musical contests that formed part of the programme of the Pythian Games in the late Hellenistic and Roman period.<ref>Mulliez, D., "Οι πυθικοί αγώνες. Οι μαρτυρίες των επιγραφών", in Κολώνια, Ρ. (ed.), Αρχαία Θέατρα της Στερεάς Ελλάδας, Διάζωμα, Αθήνα 2013, 147–154</ref> The theatre was abandoned when the sanctuary declined in Late Antiquity. After its excavation and initial restoration it hosted theatrical performances during the Delphic Festivals organized by A. Sikelianos and his wife, Eva Palmer, in 1927 and in 1930. It has recently been restored again as the serious landslides posed a grave threat for its stability for decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diazoma.gr/200-Stuff-06-Theatres/DataSheet_Delfon.pdf\format=PDF|title=ΑΡΧΑΙΟ ΘΕΑΤΡΟ ΔΕΛΦΩΝ : Παρελθόν – Παρόν – Μέλλον : ΧΟΡΗΓΙΚΟΣ ΦΑΚΕΛΟΣ|website=Diazoma.gr|access-date=5 March 2022}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>Χλέπα, Ε.-Α., Παπαντωνόπουλος, Κ., «Τεκμηρίωση και αποκατάσταση του αρχαίου θεάτρου Δελφών», in Κολώνια, Ρ. (ed.), Αρχαία Θέατρα της Στερεάς Ελλάδας, Διάζωμα, Αθήνα 2013, 173–198</ref>