The Thersilion was the federal building where the meetings of the Arcadian League were held. The building was 215 ft. (66.5 m.) long and 170 ft. (52.5 m.) broad. The foundations have been uncovered and display the ingenious arrangement of the internal supports, converging towards the center so that few people would have had their views obstructed. The internal columns were arranged in five concentric rows, set parallel to the outside walls. Their bases remain in situ and show us that there was also a slight slope towards the tribune, where the speaker would have given addresses, something like a theater. On the south side of the building stretched a long Doric portico (14 columns) that served as the skene of the theater. The building was dubbed the Thersilion after the man who dedicated it. The Thersilion was destroyed in 222 B.C. and not rebuilt.
In the Theater itself, no scenery existed except for temporary pieces that were attached to fastenings in the floor. The theater was dubbed the largest in Greece by Pausanias (though he said he preferred the one at Epidauros) and its orchestra is nearly twice as large as those at Athens and Epidauros. It seated between 17,000 to 21,000, but there may have been additional rows that are no longer visible at the top of the theater. The original construction of the theater dates back to the same period that the city was founded, but shortly after the construction of the Thersilion. The Cavea of the theater is divided by 10 stairways and two diazomata. There were major improvements in the Roman era, namely the stone stage. The orchestra was lowered in later years (by about 3 ft.) and additional steps were added. Pausanias also mentions a perpetual spring that flowed in the theater. This was discovered in the middle of the orchestra and still supplied water as late as 1963 (maybe even now). In the nineteenth century, some archaeologists complained that the entire orchestra was under water, though whether this was due to flood from the river or excessive water from the spring, I don't know.
The possibility that a "Rollskene" (a wheeled, wooden skene) was used at Megalopolis is very intriguing. Since the portico on the south side of the Thersilion served as the only background for productions in the theater, it has been assumed that movable scenery was used. Beside the stage sits a long building, known as the "skanotheka" (i.e., the scenery storage shed) from its roof tiles, which lines up exactly along the front of the portico and has a large opening on the side facing towards the stage. Since the length and width of the building are so similar to the remnants of the stage, this must have been the place where the temporary scenery was moved. One of the early excavators of the theater believed that an entire wheeled skene was rolled onto the stage out of the skanotheka and many other scholars have since followed him, but recently this matter has been questioned. A sill (shown here as the series of light colored stones from the middle to the left side of the picture) that runs the length of the skanotheka is problematic since it may have protruded into the skene, but it may have only stood a few feet high and merely served as a rest for the stage to be wedged upon to take pressure off the wheels. The existence of cuttings in the stone floor of the stage and in the skanotheka at Sparta (shown here ) and the chance that such a building was used there is very similar to the situation at Megalopolis, but the cuttings might have just been drainage channels or slots for the movable scenery.
On the other side of the river, and right on its northern bank, the Sanctuary of Zeus Soter (Savior) and the Stoa of Philip (named for Philip, not donated by him) demarcated the Agora, which is hardly visible now. Inside the market there was a Sanctuary of Lykian Zeus and a Temple of the Mother. Next to the stoa stood a Temple of Akakesian Hermes and another portico which held state offices. There was also a statue of Polybius, who was born in Megalopolis in ca. 204 B.C., beside the Council House for the city. Unfortunately the southern part of the area was overrun by the river's course and is now gone, a circumstance which most affected the Sanctuary of Zeus Soter. To the west of the Agora stood a sacred enclosure of the Great Goddesses (Demeter and the Maid). Inside this enclosure stood a Shrine of Zeus of Friendship and a Sanctuary of Aphrodite. North of the sanctuary stood a Sanctuary of the Maid, as well as a Sanctuary of Athene and a Temple of Perfect Hera, which stood on nearby hills.
The site itself was excavated by the British School from 1890-1893, but since then ploughing has harmed much of the area.
The Modern Town: Megalopolis has unfortunately been characterized by some guide books as a "town you'll want to hurry out of" (but some guide books do not even mention the town!). You might not want to stay the night here, but it is worth a visit while passing through. It has become a common stopping point for bus and train travel from Tripolis to Kalamata or Pylos so a number of tourists pass through the town, they just usually do not take time to see the site. Home to about 4,700 people, the modern town lies less than a mile south of the ancient city. It has a modern square which is lined with the usual collection of barber shops, grocery stores, and meat markets. Unfortunately, the ancient site is well within the view of a large power station, whose cooling tower (shown here ) distracts from the otherwise serene landscape. The plant, maintained by the Public Power Corporation, runs on lignite, which is found in great quantities in the area. The site itself is usually deserted, a good sign that tourists are not rolling in is found in the fact that there is no admission fee for the site entrance.
Many of the items recovered from excavations at Megalopolis are now housed in the Panarcadian Archaeological Museum , located in Tripolis, which also is home to the center of archaeological services in the region. Online, you can see a bronze helmet that was found in Megalopolis which is associated with the expedition of Alexander the Great. Other nearby sites worth mentioning are the Lycosoura Museum of Archaeology and the Sanctuary of Despoina at Lycosoura .
Other relevant sites include:
