Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (6.1890-1897 (1897))

86 THE STAGE-BUILDING OF THE THEATRE OF ERETBIA.

m. Parts of a third course remain at the ends. The length of the wall
00 is 26.20 m. Though the upper part of this wall has perished, it
must have reached at least the level of the six bases. It is to be noticed
that the second course of the wall 00 is continued without foundation
between K and 0. At the other end, between A and 0, the foundation
is irregular and does not come out flush with the upper portions of
the wall. Before reaching the oblique angles at 00, the wall extends
for 0.59 m. unsmoothed, and there, probably, were the outer walls, ON
and OM, of the paraskenia.

In the old paraskenia there remain angles of walls forming right
angles, which in one limb, TH and 1~IH, advance toward the front
wall, and in the other, T2 and n 0, extend beyond the stage-building
proper. On the west side, the wall T2 appears to have extended at
least 9.50 m. from the angle in the old paraskenion. It is not un-
likely that the wall turned toward the north at about this point and
joined the oblique Avail PO, forming thus an irregular chamber simi-
lar to one in the same position in the theatre at Epidaurus. On the
east side only two stones Avere found of this extension beyond the old
Avail, but these Avere enough to sIioav that it had once gone further.
These Avails are laid on the ground without foundations, and are a
patchwork of all kinds of material, especially of stones from the poly-
gonal Avail. The inner surface is faced with fragments of marble, and
a bit of stucco Avas found in one place. That this Avail is later than
the old skene appears, apart from its bad construction and lack of foun-
dation, most clearly in that it cuts aAvay a corner of the old flank cham-
ber, too small for a separate room. What remains ©f the wall betAveen
the old paraskenia and the front Avail is built of the usual poros blocks.
On the east side these blocks are laid one upon another crosswise, while
on the Avest side the position of the blocks in adjacent courses alternates;
but on both east and west sides the Avails are built Avith an irregularity
which shows that they Avere hidden underground. This is important,
as it enables us to establish that the surface of the soil Avas approxi-
mately on a level with the bases, and Ave gain another argument for
restoring the front Avail 00 to the same height. On the elevated part
of the skene and in line with the cross-walls AI and Kl stand two bases.

Within the irregular rooms at the sides, and parallel to the oblique
aa'alls, are two little structures the significance of which is not yet clear.
Their parallel side walls are 0.46 m. apart, and there extended a mar-
ble slab from the outside upper edge to the inside bottom level, broad