The archaeological excavations that are being carried out on the Ionian island of Leucas They brought to light, at the end of 2015, the ruins of an old theater , of considerable size, which until now was not known. The find was made, according to the Greek Reporter, on the Koulmou hill.
The theater is not mentioned in the ancient sources and the only reliable clue has been an excavation carried out in the same place at the beginning of the 20th century. Those works, directed by the German archaeologist Edmund Krüger, only lasted a few days. They did not find the theater but they did find signs that seemed to indicate its presence.
The archaeologists of the Eforate of Antiquities of Aitoloakarnania and Lefkada they conducted tastings in 13 different sections, confirming the existence of the theater and bringing to light several rows of seats, parts of the orchestra, and some of the retaining walls of the stage and other parts of the theater.
Six of the tastings revealed seats carved into the rock, between 73 and 90 centimeters deep and about 22-23 centimeters high.
The Ministry of Culture has confirmed that the theater will be completely excavated, in order to bring it to light and protect it.
Leucas is situated to the north of the islands of Ithaca and Kefalonia, and was formerly a peninsula. Until the Corinthians, who colonized it, dug a ditch on its isthmus in the 7th century BC. turning it into an island.
During the Middle Ages it was known by its Italian name, Santa Maura . It has numerous archaeological remains, such as a prehistoric city and circular tombs, leading archaeologist Wilhelm Dörpfeld to believe that it was the Ithaca of the Odyssey .
In the southern part is the place from which it is believed that the poet Sappho jumped into the sea to commit suicide. Here the cliffs reach a height of 30 meters.