Everything started in 31 B.C. To celebrate his success in the Battle of Actium, at the entrance of the Ambracian Gulf, Octavian, later Emperor Augustus, decided to build an entirely new city – this was customary at the time, and Alexander the Great often did it! He would name the new city Nicopolis, so that everyone would remember his victory.

Octavian would also make another decision. He would declare the god Apollo as its protector, and for political and religious reasons, he would revive the games that had been held there long ago in his honor. In Nicopolis, in its ‘En Alsei Suburb,’ he ensured that all the necessary facilities were built for the performance of the new Actian Games: a gymnasium, a stadium, two bath complexes, and, of course, a theater, since the games were both athletic and artistic.

The imposing Roman theater of Nikopolis was used continuously, from the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. Entire generations passed through here, spectators and artists, anonymous and renowned alike, even Nero himself, the notorious Roman emperor who “tests” his skills in music and tragedy and – of course – is awarded!

Then, the Theater remained silent for centuries. The first excavations timidly began in the 1960s. Others followed in the subsequent decades, culminating in the early 21st century. The large-scale modern interventions and systematic archaeological research aim at multiple objectives: to uncover previously unknown aspects of the monument’s architecture and history, to protect it from further deterioration, and to inaugurate a new era of use and fruitful engagement with both the local and global community.