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Excavations at the ancient theatre of Sparta 1995–1998: preliminary report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2013

G. B. Waywell  and
J. J. Wilkes
G. B. Waywell
Affiliation:
Institute of Classical Studies andKing's College London
J. J. Wilkes
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, University College London
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Abstract

Exacavations and study at the ancient theatre of Sparta in the area of the stage building and the west parodos have revealed new evidence for the original stage arrangements of the theatre as built under G. Julius Eurykles, c. 30-20 BC. A new trench laid across the west parodos, and the reopening of trials made by H. Bulle in 1935, have confirmed beyond doubt the existence of a scenery store building (skanotheke), from which three trackways, at least two of which were certainly fitted with continuous grooved blocks, allowed a moveable stage structure to be rolled out roughly into the position later occupied by the existing second phase stage building. Within the west parodos three contiguous channelled blocks have been revealed for the north line, the middle line and two poros bedding blocks for the south line. These indicate a gauge between the outer lines of c. 6 m, within a skanotheke 9 m in width and 36 m long, the walls of which have been confirmed on the north, south and west. Bulle's 1937 hypothesis concerning a rolling stage for Sparta, which was challenged by Buckler in 1986, is therefore largely confirmed. Numerous fragments of a marble Doric columned order reused within the walls and foundations of the Flavian stage building suggest that a colonnaded façade may have fronted the moving stage area, and possibly also enclosed it at the rear.

Type
Articles
Information
Annual of the British School at Athens , Volume 94 , November 1999 , pp. 437 - 455
Copyright
Copyright © The Council, British School at Athens 1999

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References

1 Waywell, G. B. and Wilkes, J. J., BSA 90 (1995), 435–60Google Scholar. including contributions by N. Fradgley, A. D. Powell, J. W. Hayes. G. D. R. Sanders and S. E. C. Walker. See too Waywell, G. B., Wilkes, J. J. and Walker, S. E. C., ‘The ancient theatre at Sparta’, in Cavanagh, W. and Walker, S. E. C. (eds), Sparta in Laconia (London, 1998), 97–111Google Scholar. A full account of Sparta theatre, incorporating the evidence from the 1992–8 excavations, is in course of preparation by the present writers.

2 Waywell and Wilkes (n. 1), 437–40. trenches ST 92/93 I–IX. A tenth trench laid out in the western upper cavea was abandoned because of extensive modern disturbance to the area.

3 Woodward, A. M., BSA 26 (1923–1931), 119–58Google Scholar: id., BSA 27 (1925–6). 175–209: id., BSA 28 (1926–7), 3– 21; id., BSA 29 (1927–8), 1.

4 Results of the analysis were published by Chandler, G. M. in Waywell, G. B. and Wilkes, J. J., BSA 92 (1997), 428–34Google Scholar.

5 Financial support for the four seasons' work was provided by the British Academy (Humanities Research Board), the British Museum, the British School at Athens, the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, and King's College London, to all of whom grateful thanks are due. We also acknowledge the generous support and assistance of Dr Theodoras Spyropoulos. Ephor of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities for Arkadia and Lakonia, and his colleagues in the Sparta office of the 5th Ephorate, particularly Stella Raftopoulou, Athanasios Thenios, and Eleni Zawou. We are indebted to the Directors of the British School, Dr M. J. Price, Professor R. A. Tomlinson, and Mr D. J. Blackman, and to the Athens Secretary, Mrs Helen Clark, for their advice and administrative help. Overall direction of the work was in the hands of GBW and JJW. Architectural recording and survey was undertaken in 1995–6 by Ms Anne Hooton (Agora Excavations, Athens: and Mr N. Sunter, and in 1997–8 by Mr N. R. Fradgley (Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, England). Stone recording and analysis was directed by Dr S. E. C. Walker (Dept. of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum), and scale drawing by Sue Bird (British Museum) and GBW. Conservation work was carried out by Ms G. Garrett (1995), and Ms I. Narkiss (1998). Environmental support was provided by Dr K. N. Wilkinson (King Alfred's College, Winchester) and Ms J. Sidell (Museum of London). The following worked as assistants in excavation or recording for one or more seasons: A. Bevan, G. Dods, T. Hatzinikola. M. Kosmopoulou, C. Morse, C. Pickersgill, A. Powell, L. Preston, I. Przybylska, D. Romanou, J. Stevens, H. Thliveri, C. de Waal, and M. Williamson, Teams of local workmen employed for the heavy digging were supervised by Mr Yannis Konstandelos of Aphisiou.

6 That it was natural was verified by Dr K. Wilkinson of King Alfred's College. Winchester.

7 Woodward, , BSA 27 (1925–1961), 190Google Scholar pl. 27.

8 For a preliminary publication of some of these fragments, see Waywell, Wilkes, and Walker (n. 1), fig. 9. 9–17 and below PP. 454–5.

9 Ibid. fig. 9.24.

10 See below at n. 21.

11 Woodward, , BSA 27 (1925–1926), 180–6Google Scholar pl. 28: Waywell, and Wilkes, , BSA 89 (1994), 430Google Scholar.

12 Woodward, , BSA 27 (1925–1926), 190–2, 204Google Scholar. pl.27.

13 Ibid. 190–1, and 192 n. 1 for Dörpfeld's view and Woodward's response.

14 Bulle, H., Untersuchungen an den griechischen Theatern (Abhandlungen der bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Phil.-Hist. Klasse, Band 33; Munich 1928). 97–110. esp. 108 ff.Google Scholar

15 BSA 28 (1926–1927), 6–15Google ScholarPubMed.

16 Bulle, H., Das Theater zu Sparta (Munich, 1937)Google Scholar, esp. 5–37 for the pie-Flavian theatre.

17 Ibid. pl.3, cf. pl. 4 c.

18 The dimensions given are average thicknesses. The heavier blocks vary between 0.47 and 0.50 m, and the lighter blocks of the north line between 0.26 and 0.31 m. Cf. ibid. 7. The variations in block thickness result from irregularities in the surface levels of the underlying poros foundations.

19 Buckler, C., ‘The myth of the movable skenai’, AJA 90 (1986), 431–6CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

20 Ibid. 436.

21 The eastern grooved block is numbered 4 by Weyhe in Bulle (n. 16), pl. 3 (here FIG. 3), and Buckler (n. 19). 435. Its surface is just 14 mm lower than that of the grooved blocks at the west end of C-C, situated nearly 48 m distant.

22 See above, n. 15.

23 Only the most westerly of the three blocks had been uncovered and recorded by Bulle (n. 16), pl. 4c.

24 Bulle (n. 16), 7, 10. 12.

25 Buckler (n. 19), 433–6.

26 IG v 1, 691. Woodward, , BSA 30 1928–1930, 201–2, 209Google Scholar: Bulle (n. 16), 38–9: Waywell, Wilkes, and Walker (n. 1), fig. 9.26.

27 Above, n. 15.

28 Tillyard, H., BSA 13 (1906–1907). 191–6Google Scholar: Woodward, , BSA 30 (1928–1930). 226–31Google Scholar. For a late 1st-c. BC dating for Kallikrates, see Steinhauer, G., BSA 93 (1998), 429Google Scholar.

29 BSA 28 (1926–1927). 8–9, 12Google ScholarPubMed.

30 Ibid. pl. 3.

31 Waywell, and Wilkes, , BSA 89 (1994), 423Google Scholar.

32 Ibid. 397. 424.

33 BSA 12 (1905–1906), 394–406Google ScholarPubMed.

34 Above, n. 7.

35 Bulle (n. 16), 10 11.

36 Ibid. pl. 3. designated as Sk.2.

37 Ibid. 13.

38 BSA 27 (1925–1926), 199–200Google ScholarPubMed fig. 7. Bulle. loc. cit. (n. 37) suggests the pithoi may have contained water.

39 The lowest point ofthe foundations for the north wall is itself some 5 cm above the surface level of the poros bedding blocks. The heights of the wall courses from bottom to top average out as: 0.20, 0.21, 0.235, 0.235, 0.16, and 0.11. Cf. Bulle (n. 16), 15.

40 BSA 28 (1926–1927), 15Google ScholarPubMed.

41 BSA 90 (1995), 443Google ScholarPubMed. See Bulle (n. 16), 16, who stresses the contemporaneity of the scenery store and the theatre cavea.

42 The term scaena ductilis la ‘draw perfectly describes the arrangement prescribed by the trackways at Sparta, but it is differently defind on Verg. Georg iii. 24. as a series of painted seene panels whose layers could be drawn apart to reveal interion views. This is the interpretation followed and discussed by Beacham, R. C., The Roman Theatre and its Audience London, 1995, 169–76Google Scholar.

43 cf. Bulle (n. 16), 6–7. Widths vary between 0.58 and 0.745, and lengths mostly fall within 1.25–1.59 m.

44 Cf. n. 21.

45 In their present situation they are too high, by c. 0.50 m, to have been bedding lor the track blocks, an apparent discrepancy which was cited as significant evidence by C. Buckler in her argument against the existence of a movable stage. See above, p. 442 with n. 21.

46 Bulle (n.16), 8.

47 See above, nn. 24–5.

48 Cf. Bulle (n. 16), 18–23.

49 Ibid. 8. 18.

50 From the evidence of the secondary wear marks, Bulle (ibid. 9) calculated the size of the wheel flanges as 8 cm wide and 4 cm deep.

51 How the construction moved remains a matter for speculation. Most likely manpower would have sufficed, once initial momentum had been obtained by leverage of some sort, although one might envisage the need for some sort of barking system. Cf. Bulle, ibid. 23, with n. 2.

52 Vitruvius. De Architectura, v. 5–7. For discussion of wooden theatres, see Bcacham (n. 42), 56–85: and ibid. 160–83 for mechanical devices and stage machinery. Bulle (n. 16), 20 suggests influence also from Hellenistic siege engines.

53 For moving stages of three to four storeys height (pegmata), cf. ibid. 180–1. citing Josephus, , BJ vii. 139–47Google Scholar, describing the moving stages with remarkable tableaux vivants of the sack of Jerusalem which featured in the triumph of Titus in AD 71.

54 Large-scale moving devices were not uncommon in antiquity both inside and outside the theatre. Of the evidence surveyed by Bulle (n. 16), 68–80. the most interesting non-theatrical comparison tor the moving stage at Sparta is the extensive and partly grooved diolkos trackway across the isthmus of Corinth, which was capable of moving large ships. See most recently on this. Raepsaet, G., BCH 117 (1993), 233–61Google Scholar: and Werner, W., The international Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 26, 2 (1997), 98–119Google Scholar. with earlier literatur.

55 Bulle (n. 16), 10–18.

56 BSA 28 (1926–1927), 11Google ScholarPubMed, pl. 3; cf. Bulle (n. 16), 16, who gives the depths from east to west as: 0.80, 0.85, and 0.20–0.40 m. He also notes that the tops of the east and central slots come c. 4 m and 4.3 m above the ground-levl of the nymphaeum.

57 Bulle (n. 16), 17.

58 BSA 30 (1928–1930), 159Google ScholarPubMed.

59 Waywell, Wilkes and Walker (n. 1).

60 Ibid.; cf. Waywell and Wilkes, BSA 90 (1995), 443.

61 Vitruvius, De Architectura, iv. 3 for the Doric order, citing a ratio of 7 lower diameters for the column height, and c. 8.5 lower diameters for the order to cornier-level.

62 Scranton, R. L., i, 3 (1951), 61–2. 66Google Scholar, fig. 43.

63 Bieber, M., The History oj the Greek and Roman Theater (Princeton, 1961). 108–28; the use of the Doric order to support the stage frontage is noteworthy also at Aphrodisias theatre, which is roughly contemporary with the first phase of Sparta theatreGoogle Scholar.

64 Gardner, E. A. and Loring, W., Excavations at Megalopolis 1890–1891 (London, 1892). 23 50, 69–100; E. Fiechter, Das Theater in Megalopolis (Stuttgart, 1931); H. Bullc (n. 16), 23–27;C. Buckler (n. 19), 431–3Google Scholar.

65 Cartledge, P. and Spawforth, A., Hellenistic and Roman Sparta: A Tale of Two Cities (London, 1989), 97–104Google Scholar.