According to recent archaeology research in Greece, an odeon has been found in the ruins of a former Roman-era town in a remote area of southwest Crete.
The new building, which resembles a contemporary amphitheater, was uncovered during the first excavation at the Lissos archaeological sites in more than 60 years. Katerina Tzanakaki, the deputy head of the Department of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities and Museums at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Chania, served as the project’s director. During the initial phase of excavation, Tzanakaki and her team found two domed side chambers, 14 rows of seats, and a piece of the odeon’s stage.
Odeons “were utilized for lectures, literary and musical competitions, or theatrical plays,” Tzanakaki said in an interview with the science news website LiveScience, which first reported the story.
It is impossible to conduct more research at the Lissos site because it can only be reached by boat or a two-hour climb from the nearby village of Sougia, despite the fact that archaeologists have already found a number of other well-preserved buildings there.
The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports described Lissos as “an ancient autonomous city, religious center, and seat of the Koinos of Oria in the 3rd century BC” in a translated statement about the excavation.
The discovery of a public function structure in the middle of the ancient city, close to the well-known Asklepieion, contributes new information to the region’s archaeological and historical landscape.
It is believed that the recently found odeon was constructed in the first century C.E. Although it was a unique discovery, archaeology specialists Jane Francis and George Harris told LiveScience that the severe damage to the building’s northwest was likely brought on by an earthquake in 365 C.E.
An important step before any restoration work or elevation studies of the site is to ascertain whether the odeon is surrounded by external masonry in the following investigation phase.