Аннотация:The article discusses problems related to the relief cycle of the ancient theatre in Philippi. Preserved fragments provide the ground to associate these images with the myth of the Edonian king Lycurgus. However, the narrative, iconographic and semantic similarity of the Lycurgus story to other well-known myths (that of Pentheus and Orpheus) stimulate further analysis and reflections. Moreover, there is a possibility that the reliefs included more than one storyline or that the one story represented could contain visual references to others. The possibility of such a “combination” is also under discussion.The status of local myths and related cults, as well as the specific culturalambience of Philippi might be significant to the interpretation. Therefore, attention is paid to the historical, geographical and religious contexts, and to the influences of Thracian, Greek and Roman environments on the city’s cultural identity. The author also looks for a particular version of the Lycurgus story, trying to distinguish the circle of literary and visualsources which may be relevant to the program of the south portico. Finally, the narrative cycle in Philippi appears to be a phenomenon ofthe synthesis of different traits related to both Greek and local traditions, successfully assimilated by the Roman cultural milieu.Keywords: Philippi, theatre, Lycurgus, Pentheus, Orpheus, Aeschylus, Bacchantes, Euripides, Maenad, Dionysus