Abstract

Delphica 6. Notes on the stairway of the theater at Delphi (SD 541) The stairway, made of limestone, by which one reached the theater at Delphi since its discovery (end of the 19th c.) was dismantled in 1974. Below it were discovered two earlier ones, made of poros, a third of the width and seemingly not related to the theater. The datings have varied according to time and author. The limestone stairway has even been considered a paleochristian construction. It is true that its first narrow flight of steps resulted from a transformation of that date. But a trace still visible on the string wall permits documenting the original profile of this part and reconstituting a width equal to the rest of the structure, thus restoring a monumental aspect to the ensemble. The date must be that now attributed to the theater : 160-150.