The Ancient Theatre of Aptera resonated this summer with words and sounds from antiquity when actors and musicians took to the stage. Opened back in 2016 after partial excavations were completed, the theater welcomed an audience for the first time in seventeen centuries.
This past June the theater came alive once again with a dramatized narration from Homer’s “Odyssey,” performed by Sofia Hill and Antonis Myriagos. Accompanying were Giorgos Kaloudis on the lyre and Ruth Hill on the qanun. The event was organized by the Chania Antiquities Ephorate, in cooperation with officials of the Region of Crete.
The ancient city of Aptera was founded on the hill of Paleokastro. The site is surrounded by unbelievable beauty in between the Gulf of Souda to the north and the imposing White Mountains to the south.
The oldest reference of the name Aptera is found on Linear B inscriptions (14th-13th century B.C). Named for as an epithet to the goddess Artemis (Diana) by the hero Apteras, it is said the name comes from a mythic battle between muses and sirens. According to the legend, the sirens were defeated, and that they lost their wings, became white and fell into the sea below. In Greek Ptera means wings, and Aptera means without wings.
Work on the Theatre of Aptera is ongoing, while studies are being prepared on the preservation of the plaster and the architectural members damaged by the operation of the lime kiln operated in the center. Blessed by its fortunate geography, Aptera was a powerful legislative and cultural hub from Minoan through Hellenistic times.
The archaeological site of Aptera is open daily year round from 8 AM to 3 PM.