“The land with the good pastures, the many sheep and goats” says the ancient poet Hesiod “Zeus loved it very much and designated it as his oracle”. Thus Dodoni became the earthly residence of the great god, the second after his palace on Olympus. The worship of Zeus here was connected with divination. Its priests “deciphered” the rustling of the sacred oak and gave answers to mortals, to their all sorts of questions.

In all the great sanctuaries, in order for the mortals to honor their gods, they organized games. The Naia, the games in honor of Zeus, were perhaps held in Dodoni from time immemorial, but it took the most prominent ancient Epirotian leader for them to acquire the glory they deserved. Pyrrhus, from the generation of the Molossians of Epirus, relative and admirer of Alexander the Great, renewed or according to another version established the games, at the beginning of the 3rd century. BC, and “armed” the sanctuary with buildings necessary for their conduct, among them a Theatre.