It is not as well-known and famous as other ancient theaters, but it is a theater that means a lot for the place and its history and that marked the area at its peak, during the Hellenistic period.

The ancient theater of Demetrias is located a stone’s throw from the center of Volos, within the boundaries of the walls of ancient Demetrias, and very close to the Nees Pagases area on the exit road to Athens.

For those not familiar with the area or even the detailed history of the place, the ancient theater has next to it many surviving piers of the aqueduct bridge of the ancient aqueduct of Demetrias, better known as “Teeth” to the local population.

Demetrius the Besieger who founded the city at the same time built the ancient theater in 294-292 and according to archaeologists it was an elegant and formal theater that expressed the Greek mentality of the time. As for the choice of the location, it was anything but random, since it was located directly opposite the palace of the Macedonian kings and below the hill where the hero of the Chiefs and Builders of the city of Demetrias was founded, while archaeologists believe that the theater served and the hero needs for the city of Demetriada.

Over the years and for a long period of about 150 years the theater fell into disuse due to its destruction, but a great restoration and operation followed, until it was finally abandoned in the 4th century when the whole structure of society had now changed, no only in Dimitrias, but in all Greek cities.

The disrepair of the theater followed and the great monument was stripped of its stone and marble lining of the pews in the hollow area. Stones and marbles were used to a great extent for other buildings of the time, but despite the massive stone-hunting, it was possible to save the tripartite division of the Hellenistic theaters, that is, the stage building, the orchestra and the hollow with the epitheatre.

According to the archaeologist Babis Intzesiloglou, the construction phases that have been identified from the investigations to date are four in the scenic building and as many in the area of ​​the hollow, without being able to date all the phases precisely and an absolute correlation of these for the moment. tent with those of the hollow.

The archaeologist P. Triantafyllopoulou, who for decades has participated in research and excavations in the area, states in her publication that “the ancient theater of Dimitriados has a Hellenistic cylindrical altar with bukranias and garlands that were in the middle of the orchestra and points out that the theater apart from space of spectacles was also a place of publication of resolutions, texts of public political acts. Around the orchestra of the theater were erected marble columns with resolutions of Demetriade and the Common of Magnets, such as the great honorary resolution of the Common of Magnets issued to honor the Secretary of the Conferences of the Common, Demetrius Orestos”.

In modern times, the ancient theater of Dimitriados is admired by passers-by and those who have the opportunity to visit it, since the area is fenced and controlled to avoid vandalism, but also because research and excavations continue in a large radius in the surrounding area and mainly towards Pefkakia.

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The director of the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thessaly and head of the great Athanasakeion Archaeological Museum of Volos, Anthi Batziou, told APE-MPE that the wider region of Volos is a huge largely unexplored archaeological treasure where huge efforts are being made to uncover it. The site participates in the program “All Greece is one Culture” and there are hundreds of schools that have similar educational programs and conduct visits. Often during the summer there are great theater performances mainly with works by classical Greek authors.

However, the ancient theater of Demetrias, like several other unique archaeological sites, are open to the public, but not available and visitable in the modern sense, since prior consultation with the competent and responsible bodies is needed.

The same is the case with the unique archaeological sites in Dimini and Sesklos, where Neolithic settlements have been uncovered for decades with unique findings such as the vaulted tombs, similar to those in Mycenae and dating back to around 5000 BC.

And unique finds are housed in the Athanasakeion Archaeological Museum of Volos where, among other things, the unique worldwide Tomb Steles of the Pagasi are kept.