Ohrid, the ancient Lychnidos, was founded on the hill rising above the Ohrid Lake , has been in existence for about 2500 years. Since the ancient times civilization achievements have been changing, with its ups and downs. The successor of Lichnidos, the town of Ohrid, has survived all this and has been preserved with this name until today. If the existence of Lichnidos had become settled in the myth, then undoubtedly one can say that during the whole ancient period, this town had been a strong source of this civilization. On the ruins of that city the medieval Ohrid has been built, and over its foundations and besides its buildings lives the contemporary Ohrid. The good geo-positioning, along with the other attractive natural wealth, enabled continuous life on this very spot, commencing from the early beginnings of human civilization, through all the historic epoch till the present day.

 

 

This region was being inhabited since the earliest times. The nearby settlements from all the prehistoric ages prove that. This ideal location for a city settlement couldn't have been unnoticed. There is a lack of archaeological confirms on the city's foundation. One of the legends links the foundation of the city with Cadmos, the Fenician. He was expelled from Thebe to Beothis and ran to the Enheleiai where with his wife Harmonia has established a dynasty. He became the founder of Lychnidus, a name probably deriving from the Greek lychnos, meaning light.

 

 

The Brigis (or the Frigians) and the Enheleiai are said to be the oldest inhabitants. The historical sources speak of the Brigis as inhabitants of several places in Ilyria and Macedonia. By the end of the VI c. on the south Ilyrian territory lived the Enheleiai as neighbors of the Epirus tribe, the Haons (according to Hecateus).

 

 

During the Roman-Macedonian wars, the city is mainly under the Roman consuls, and the regions Dasaretia and Lychnidus had different status in different occasions. In the sources it is stated that it is certain that Lychnidus fell under Rome in 199 BC. In 197 BC, after the battle at Kinoskefale between the Romans and the Macedonians, the city was given to the Roman ally, the Ilyric king Plevrat.

 

 

During the Third Macedonian war (197-168) Lychnidus became a main Roman base in the inner Ilyricum. In 170, for the first time Lychnidus is mentioned linked to Dassaretia and is called "Dassaretic", when the Roman leader Apius Claudius stayed there with its army of 12000 soldiers, intending to attack the Penestinian city of Uscana. This is important due to the saying that in Roman time Lychnidus was a capital of Dassaretia.

 

 

In the Late Antiquity (IV-VI c.), Lychnidus and its vicinity is part of the newly formed Roman province Epirus Nova. The name of the city is mentioned in the beginning of the IV century as a station on the Via Egnatia in two itineraries and in the Tabula Peuntigeriana.

 

 

 

Discovered by accident and later completely excavated, this four-thousand square meter monument to Antique Greco-Roman culture is today used during the Ohrid Summer Festival for performances of ancient tragedies and comedies. It offers a wonderful view of the lake and Mt. Galicica to the southeast. It is situated below Samuel's Fortress and close to the Upper Gate on the eastern slope of the hill of Ohrid, from which an un­forgettable vista of the lake and the sur­rounding mountains eon be obtain.

 

The Classical Theatre was built about 2.000 years ago, either in the Late Hellenistic period or shortly after the Roman conquest. The first recorded mentions of the existence of the theatre were made at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. Attempts were then made to un­earth the theatre but these amounted to no more than partial excavations which failed to produce any major results. Trial digs in 1960 helped locate the theatre more precisely and determined its size. Systematic archae­logical work commenced in 1977 and, after a six-years break, continued in 1984. On the other side, according to the analysis of the inscriptions found in the theatre, it is presumed that it was constructed in the antique times, and was used for theatre performances - plays, and after the Roman conquest of the town, the theatre was turned into an arena for gladiator fights. It was adorned by numerous sculptures and reliefs that are preserved to the present days. Particularly attractive are the two relief tablets that depict the God Dionysus and the muses - patrons of poetry and theatrical plays.

 

The first notions about the existence of the antique city Lichnid were made by the Russian art historian Kondakov in the year 1990. The Russian scientist based his assumptions on the rich building materials (seats, architrave joists, etc.) that were built-in on many locations in the city. Then Kondakov saw the two relief tablets of Dionysus and the muses, discovered on the property of the church Sv. Bogorodica (Holy Mother of God) Bolnicka, that remind of the theatrical performances and certainly once upon a time were a part of the decor installed in the theatre building. The theatre was discovered in the central part of Varosh, in 1935 by the archaeologist Nikola Vulic and during the archaeological excavations during 1959 - 1960 by the Ohrid archaeologist Vasil Lahtov.

 

The ancient theatre is located in the very centre of the elevated old town. The open theatre has a perfect location, as the two hills (Gorni Saraj and Deboj) keep it protected from winds that could interfere with acoustics during performances.

First archaeological excavations performed by the National museum of Ohrid which located this performance building constructed in the 2nd c. B.C. and later adjusted for the needs of the roman society in the 2nd c. AD. (an arena for gladiatorial combats has been constructed as well as cages for the wild animals). During these first excavations, among other finds, there was also the famous miniature theatrical mask made of ivory.

 

Without doubt, one of the most significant discoveries has been that of the names of the members of the audience engraved on their seats in the auditorium. Those, most probably, were the names of people who had subscriptions, or season tickets to attend the performances. Classical dramas , tragedies and come­dies, were performed on its open-air stage, just as was the practice in all other theatres of the classical period.