Ancient theatre of Dodoni and archaeological site

Also available in: Ελληνικά Français Deutsch

Ancient Dodoni is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece and the oracle was, according to Aristotle , the cradle of Greek civilization.

It was an important place of worship of Zeus, while many years before and specifically in the Bronze Age the position of the leader of the gods was held by the Goddess Earth or another female deity associated with fertility.

Stay in Dodoni

In addition, the ancient theatre of Dodoni will take you back centuries when 18 thousand spectators watched masterpieces of ancient Greek literature.

Photos from the archaeological site of Dodoni
Map of the area

Ancient Oracle of Dodoni

The Oracle of Dodoni is the oldest Greek oracle, there are sources that mention it as a place of worship from 2,500 BC, well before the oracle of Delphi, while references to it are made by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey and by the great historian Herodotus.

Ancient-theatre-Dωδώνis-Ioannina-Ioannina-Epiros — The ancient theatre of Dodoni in the prefecture of Ioannina

The worship of Zeus was introduced to the area shortly after 2,000 BC by a tribe of the Thesproans, the Selloi, and his wishes were interpreted by the seers based on the sounds of the water of the sacred spring, the rustling of the leaves of the Sacred Tree (the Sacred Well) and the sound of bronze boilers on tripods around the sacred tree.

Unfortunately, the oracle was destroyed over the centuries and the Sacred Tree was cut off at the root when the worship of Zeus was replaced by Christianity. Nevertheless, the archaeological site of Dodona is rich in buildings and monuments of Greek civilization. One of the most important and certainly the most imposing is none other than the great ancient theatre.

Ancient theatre of Dodoni

The ancient theatre was built in the 3rd century BC by the king of Epirus Pyrrhus, at the foot of Mount Tomaros. It is one of the largest, with a capacity of 18,000 spectators, and one of the best preserved ancient Greek theatres, despite the destruction and changes that were made to it until the 4th century, when it ceased to function.

Stay in Dodoni

Access to the archaeological site, where apart from the ancient theatre there are many ancient monuments worth seeing such as the Sacred House, the stadium, the temple of Hercules, the Bouleuterion, the temple of Dionis, the Acropolis and others. Access to the archaeological site of Dodoni is particularly easy as it is located just 22 km from Ioannina.