Australian archeologists in Cyprus found a theater dating from the 3rd century BC that had been used for spectacles more than six and a half centuries ago. The Department of Antiquities of Cyprus said that it was the oldest structure of its kind ever unearthed on the Mediterranean island. The structure was used from 300 BC through to 365 BC.

Also found nearby was the existence of a large Roman paved road of approximately 8 meters which was the main route towards the theater.

“The existence of this road also confirms that (…) Nea Paphos was built as a typical Hellenistic architecture. The discovery of numerous fragments of granite columns on the location of the theater confirms the importance of the paved road,” says the statement.

“The granite columns (from) Troas (north-western Turkey) are well-known in the Mediterranean. As the capital of Cyprus at the time, so it is not surprising that Nea Paphos was adorned  by this Roman architecture. ”

Excavations were conducted by the Australian Archeological Mission of the University of Sydney on the site of the Greek-Roman theater of Nea Paphos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nea Paphos, the sacred city of Aphrodite, is the archeological site of Paphos that houses many relics of ancient Greece including famous mosaics.