Compound Climate Extremes Impacts on Cultural Heritage: The Case of Open Ancient Theatres in Greece

Climate change is an ongoing threat to heritage assets with compound climate extremes. Risk assessment and vulnerability approach show the consistent deterioration of ancient monuments. This study focuses on the open-air Greek theatre, a recognizable structure with cultural values and exposed to the climatic conditions. The methodology of this study is the collection of historical meteorological data from weather stations to assess the frequency and impacts of warm–wet, warm–dry, cold–wet, and cold–dry climate extremes on these structures. Climate historic documentation indicates an increasing frequency of these compound extremes, intensifying the structural degradation. Heritage management should include the mitigation–adaptation strategy based on the climate data and the assessment of climate change challenges for the protection of heritage and, in particular, of Greek open-air theatres.