The second phase of the conservation, restoration and reconstruction project of the eastern half of the auditorium of the Roman Theater at the Stobi archeological site has been completed, the Ministry of Culture announced Thursday.
The work continued with the conservation and reconstruction of the remaining vaults of the auditorium's lower segment. The reconstruction of the vaults was done by using authentic materials as local sandstone discovered during the excavations, and the application of new, lime-based mortar. Twelve rows out of the original eighteen were reconstructed this season. The highest six rows rested on the top of the vault above the central circular corridor. Their reconstruction will follow the restoration of the vault, planned for 2015.
At the same time, with the conservation process, excavations were also carried out. The new results brought significant information about the reconstruction of the theater and its function during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, as well as new information on the period of abandonment which happened at the end of the 4th century. After the Theater went out of use, the walls and the corridors were used in the newly erected Late Antique buildings which occupied the area, reads the press release.
The construction of the Theater in Stobi started at the end of the 1st century AD, but it was fully finished during the first half of the 2nd century. The diameter of approximately 90 meters, the capacity to hold 7,600 spectators and the high level of preservation include the Stobi Theater among the most important and most grandiose monuments of Roman architecture in Macedonia.
The conservation project was financed by the Ministry of Culture, as part of the Annual program for Projects of National interest in 2014.
