Northern Greece and Epirus, in particular, are not top
destinations for the common tourist – unfortunately so.
Epirus is wedged in the northwestern corner of Greece, and this rugged mountainous landscape
shares borders with Albania.
It is also the homeland of Queen Olympias,
Alexander’s mother.
The best-known site is the sanctuary of Dodona,
which King Pyrrhus of Epirus promoted
as the religious capital in 290 AD. It features a remarkable theater and is seen as
the oldest Hellenic oracle. Other notable places are Gitana (3rd
century BC), Amvracia (founded in the 7th century BC. It was
given to Pyrrhus by the son of Cassander in 294 BC); Cassope
(founded in the 4th century BC), and Nicopolis (founded in 28
BC by Octavian after his victory at Actium).
At present, a project has been conceived to link
the theaters of these towns together and to create a brand new tourist trail. The idea behind this plan is that from antiquity onward, theaters are places
where people met and interacted on different levels.
These five archaeological sites are stringed
along a circuit of 344
kilometers which the intrepid traveler can discover.
Although the theater shares a common link, it is obvious that the sites have
much more to offer when it comes to archaeology, history, culture, art, and
modern daily life.
The article from the Archaeology
News Network puts the accent on developing tourism in the region. Still, the underlying historical value of the antique cities is not in the least described.
Without their appropriate background, it is difficult to truly appreciate the
theaters as their focal points.
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