The ancient theatre of Orchomenos

The theatre of Orchomenos was built during Hellenistic times and is one of the four ancient theatres which can be seen in Arcadia.

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Orchomenos was a walled city that was once one of the three powerful city-states in ancient Arcadia, along with Mantineia and Tegea. Mythology tells us that it was founded by Orchomenos, son of Lycaon, and history tells us that it reached its heyday in the 7th–6th century BC and that it had a theatre, an agora, a parliament and the sanctuary of Artemis. We also know that many inhabitants left Orchomenos and joined people from other cities in moving to the new city of Megalopolis.

The theatre was built during Hellenistic times and is one of the four ancient theatres which can be seen in Arcadia. It is on the eastern slope of the acropolis hill, inside the ancient agora, at a point which would have given theatre-goers a panoramic view of the plain of Orchomenos. It is believed that the theatre had more than 40 rows of seats and a capacity of more than 4000. The proscenium and the stage were at the east side of the theatre.

Did you know that

Prehistoric Orchomenos was at the foot of the acropolis.

The archaeological site is near Levidi.

Levidi
Levidi is a pleasant small town which is built on the foothills of Mount Menalo, and is 850m above sea level. There is a selection of accommodation options including traditional guesthouses available and the town also has good tavernas and cafes as well as shops selling local products and Mantineia wines.
In central square you can see a bust of the town’s most famous son, Alexandros Papanastasiou who was prime minister at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1976 his house was turned into a museum which houses his large library of rare books, scientific works, photographs and personal items.
The Arcadian Museum of Art and History in the "Dryades" alternative tourism complex has an interesting collection of works of art by Western European and Greek artists from the 16th to the 20th century.
You could also visit Kato Vrysi park which has paths and play areas, and a water fountain with 14 taps. In the old days, this was where the townsfolk got their water which they carried up to their houses in barrels to give to their animals and for washing carpets.
The Byzantine church of Panagia Levidi is 2 km from Levidi.
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Did you know that

Levidi is about 25 km from the city of Tripolis.

Location

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