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ANCIENT THEATRES - ANCIENT THEATRES' IDENTITY
ROMAN ODEION
OF GORTYS
Information
|
Description
of the
Monument
|
Photo
Gallery
|
Scientific
Report
 |
The Roman Odeion of Gortys is located in Gortyna
Municipality, in Crete. It was built at the highest part of
the Greek Agora and the opposite bank of the River Lethaeus,
where the Large Theatre of Gortys stood. Set into the outer
wall of the circular passageway of the Odeion was found the
famous Inscription of the Laws of Gortys. |
|
|
|
Description of the monument
The Gortys archaeological site is located in Gortyna Municipality, in Crete. The
Odeion was built at the highest part of the Greek Agora and the opposite bank of
the River Lethaeus, where the Large Theatre of Gortys stood. It probably stands
on the site of the Hellenistic Bouleuterion (4th-2nd c.
BC). The Odeion was inside a circular building built in the mid-1st
c. BC on the site of a square structure. This building was destroyed by the
earthquake of 46 (or 66) AD and rebuilt by the Emperor Trajan in 100 AD.
Modifications were carried out in the 3rd and 4th c. AD.
The Odeion consists of the cavea, the orchestra and the stage building. The cavea of the Odeion is divided at its base into three cunei by two staircases leading up from the orchestra. However, there is also a second row of four cunei divided by vomitoria (vaulted passageways with steps). The seats were faced with marble. Set into the outer wall of the circular passageway (ambulacrum) of the Odeion, preserved in second use, was the famous Inscription of the Laws of Gortys.
The inner wall comprised 18 arches which supported the cavea. From the circular passageway, both cavea and orchestra could be accessed via either the parodoi or three vomitoria. This passageway continued in a circular route to the pulpitum (the raised platform on which the actors performed) or the stage, and to the postscenium (the area behind the stage) measuring 21.50 m x 2.50 m.
The orchestra is approximately 8.50 m in diameter and its floor is paved with white and blue marble. The raised rectangular stage is 3 m wide, with three doorways flanked by square niches in which were set statues, some of which were discovered during the course of the excavations. The postscenium had a mosaic floor with geometric patterns (only the west end is preserved). There were two porticos. The west portico, with a mosaic floor, was much narrower than the south one, which was 5 m wide.
Excavations began in 1884 under F. Halbherr, continuing in subsequent years under L. Pernier. The monument was conserved - without reconstruction interventions - as part of the “Remodelling, Promotion, Restoration of the Gortys Archaeological Site” project in 2004-2007. The walls have been conserved, rainwater drainage works have been implemented and, finally, the arches of the passageways behind the cavea have been supported. The monument is open to the public, as is the Gortys archaeological site.
Great Inscription of Gortys
The Law Code or Dodecadeltos of Gortys, better known as the Great Inscription or Queen of Inscriptions, is the greatest contribution of Classical Crete to Greek and indeed world culture. The Inscription consists of 12 columns (deltoi) written in the boustrophedon style. It originally comprised about 640 verses of which 400 survive, and is dated to the first half of the 5th c. BC. The earliest European Civil Code, it is imbued with a liberal and progressive spirit. It treats matters of Civil Law, such as Family and Inheritance Law, matters of sales, mortgages and debts, matters regarding the liability of slaves and their owner, and also matters of rape, seduction and adultery.
The laws of Gortys do not prescribe barbarous penalties. They provide for an extensive process for the equitable bestowal of justice and required objective proof of both the guilt and the innocence of the accused. The death penalty was unknown. Many of the clauses of the modern Penal Code are based on the Laws of Gortys.
Maria Bredaki
Archaeologist
Photo
gallery
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Plan |
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Scientific
report
| Monument Name |
Roman
Odeion
of
Gortys |
| Category |
Odeion |
| Brief Description |
The
Roman
Odeion
of
Gortys
is
located
in
Gortyna
Municipality,
in
Crete.
It
was
built
at
the
highest
part
of
the
Greek
Agora
and
the
opposite
bank
of
the
River
Lethaeus,
where
the
Large
Theatre
of
Gortys
stood.
Set
into
the
outer
wall
of
the
circular
passageway
of
the
Odeion
was
discovered
the
famous
Inscription
of
the
Laws
of
Gortys. |
| Images - Plans |
There
are
photographical
records
and
drawings
(23rd
Ephorate
of
Prehistoric
and
Classical
Antiquities). |
| Documentation - Bibliography |
1.
L.
Pernier,
“L’Odeum
nell’Agora
di
Gortina
presso
il
Leteo”,
Asatene
8-9
(1925-1926),
pp.
1-69.
2.
I.
Sanders,
Roman
Crete,
Warmington
1982,
pp.
65-66.
3.
A.
di
Vita,
V.
La
Rosa
& M.
A.
Rizzo
(eds),
Ancient
Crete.
A
Hundred
Years
of
Italian
Archaeology
(1884-1984),
Roma
1985,
p.
47.
4.
Α.
Κάντα,
Φαιστός,
Αγία
Τριάδα,
Γόρτυνα,
Athens
1998,
p.
128-131. |
| Location |
The
archaeological
site
of
Gortys
is
located
in
Gortyna
Municipality. |
| Dating |
The
Odeion
was
built
at
the
highest
part
of
the
Greek
Agora
and
the
opposite
bank
of
the
River
Lethaeus,
where
the
Large
Theatre
of
Gortys
stood.
It
probably
stands
on
the
site
of
the
Hellenistic
Bouleuterion
(4th-2nd
c.
BC).
The
Odeion
was
inside
a
circular
building
built
in
the
mid-1st
c.
BC
on
the
site
of a
square
structure.
This
building
was
destroyed
by
the
earthquake
of
46
(or
66)
AD
and
rebuilt
by
the
Emperor
Trajan
in
100
AD.
Modifications
were
carried
out
in
the
3rd
and
4th
c.
AD. |
|
General Description of Monument
|
The Odeion consists of the cavea, the orchestra and the stage building. The cavea of the Odeion is divided at its base into three cunei by two staircases leading up from the orchestra. However, there is also a second row of four cunei divided by vomitoria (vaulted passageways with steps). The seats were faced with marble. Set into the outer wall of the circular passageway (ambulacrum) of the Odeion, 29 m long and 2.58 m wide, the famous Inscription of the Laws of Gortys was preserved in second use. The inner wall comprised 18 arches which supported the cavea. From the ambulacrum, both cavea and orchestra could be accessed via either the parodoi or three vomitoria. This passageway continued in a circular route to the pulpitum (the raised platform on which the actors performed) or the stage, and to the postscenium (the area behind the stage) measuring 21.50 m x 2.50 m. The orchestra is approximately 8.50 m in diameter and its floor is paved with white and blue marble. The raised rectangular stage is 3 m wide, with three doorways flanked by square niches in which were set statues, some of which were discovered during the course of the excavations. The postscenium had a mosaic floor with geometric patterns (only the west end is preserved). There were two porticos. The west portico, with a mosaic floor, was much narrower than the south one, which was 5 m wide. It is worth mentioning the Great Inscription of Gortys, which, as stated above, was found here in second use. The Law Code or Dodecadeltos of Gortys, better known as the Great Inscription or Queen of Inscriptions, is the greatest contribution of Classical Crete to Greek and indeed world culture. The Inscription consists of 12 columns (deltoi) written in the boustrophedon style. It originally comprised about 640 verses of which 400 survive, and is dated to the first half of the 5th c. BC. The earliest European Civil Code, it is imbued with a liberal and progressive spirit. It treats matters of Civil Law, such as Family and Inheritance Law, matters of rape, seduction and adultery, matters of sales, mortgages and debts, and matters regarding the liability of slaves and their owner. The laws of Gortys do not prescribe barbarous penalties. They provide for an extensive process for the equitable bestowal of justice and required objective proof of both the guilt and the innocence of the accused. The death penalty was unknown. Many of the clauses of the modern Penal Code are based on the Laws of Gortys. |
| Current Situation |
The
walls
have
been
conserved,
rainwater
drainage
works
have
been
implemented
and,
finally,
the
arches
of
the
passageways
behind
the
cavea
have
been
supported. |
| Excavations - Interventions |
Excavations
began
in
1884
under
F.
Halbherr,
continuing
in
subsequent
years
under
L.
Pernier.
The
monument
was
conserved
-
without
reconstruction
interventions
- as
part
of
the
“Remodelling,
Promotion,
Restoration
of
the
Gortys
Archaeological
Site”
project
in
2004-2007,
funded
by
the
3rd
Community
Support
Fund.
Prior
to
2004,
only
small-scale
conservation
work
had
been
carried
out
on
the
monument. |
| Permitted Uses |
Archaeological
site
open
to
the
public. |
|
History of Modern Uses |
- |
| Further Information |
Located
in
the
archaeological
site
of
Gortys
and
open
to
the
public. |
| Intellectual Rights |
- |
| Jurisdiction |
The
monument
belongs
to
the
jurisdiction
of
the
Ministry
of
Culture
/ 23rd
Ephorate
of
Prehistoric
and
Classical
Antiquities. |
|
Latitude |
- |
| Longitude |
- |
| Altitude |
0 |
|
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earth
link |
