APTERA

Aptera was one of Crete's most important city-states. It is situated on a plateau 200 meters above Souda Bay, approximately 15 km from the city of Chania on the road to Rethymno.

The theater played a crucial role in the public life of ancient cities. In ancient Aptera, the theatre was constructed on the southernmost side of the site, facing the White Mountains. The main components of the theatre are the koilon (auditorium), the orchestra, and the skene. It is estimated to have held a total of 3,700 spectators.

The theater’s orchestra is among the smallest, with a radius of 5.45 meters, indicating it was designed for musical and theatrical performances. Its floor is made of compacted soil, and at the center is a circular stone base of Thymely, the altar of Dionysus, where sacrifices were made before each performance. The skene was the area where the theatrical action took place. It featured a rectangular structure at the edge of the orchestra, positioned opposite the koilon. The skene visible today in Aptera was constructed during the Roman Empire. The entrances, known as parodoi, are located to the east and west of the theatre.

Walking through the site are remnants of what was once most likely an impressive and significant city, but all the years of seismic activity have left just a hint of what had been standing there back in the 14th-13th centruy BC.

Hidden behind the chapel of Agios Ioannis Theologos, are these impressive arched structures once stored the city’s water supply in cisterns built by the Romans, feeding both public and private baths.