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The Greatest
Healing Center in Ancient Greece
Another famous site in the
Argolis is Epidavros. In the hinterland of Epidavros, on a site enjoying a mild climate and plentiful water
from healing springs, the Epidavrians founded the sanctuary of
Asklepios, the most brilliant centre of healing in the ancient
world, which flourished from the late 5th century B.C. until the
end of Roman era.
The towns magnificent theatre, still almost
intact, stands in a wooded hollow of a hill not far from the
Archaeological Museum. The
theatre, which can accommodate14000 spectators, forms a section
of a circle slightly larger than a semicircle. It consists of 55
rows of seats divided by a promenade (diazoma) into an upper and a lower
section.
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The seats of honor, reserved for the magistrates and
the priests, were situated in the first row of the upper section and in
the back and first row of the lower section, the spectators in the rest of
the lower section have cushions to sit on.
The performance could be heard and seen
perfectly from every seat in the theatre as can be demonstrated today by
whispering or rusting a piece of paper in the centre of the orchestra, the
sound carries without distortion to the top back corner of the huge spread
of terraces some 22.50m/74ft from the ground.
After three centuries of
prosperity and world renown, the Asklepieion was dealt a series
of major blows. The Roman general Sulla plundered its treasures in 86 BC, and a few years later it was
ravaged by pirates from Kilikia. The sanctuary enjoyed a second
period of prosperity in the 2nd c. AD, when new buildings were
erected and the old ones repaired. In 395 AD the sanctuary was
plundered by the Goths of Alaric and it finally ceased to
function when the ancient cults were banned by the emperor
Theodosius
II in 426 AD. The ravages of time were completed by two
major earthquakes in 522 and 551 AD, and the sanctuary remained
silent until the excavations conducted by the Archaeological
Society (1879-1928 ) uncovered its ensemble of monuments.
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The prestige and
reputation acquired by Asklepios as the major god of healing led to
great economic prosperity for his sanctuary, which made it possible
to implement
 a
large building programmed in the 4th and 3rd c. BB, to house his
cult in monumental buildings.
The peripteral
Doric temple of Asklepios, erected between 380 and 375
BC, was the work of the architect Theodotos.
The pedimental sculptures were carved by
Timotheos, while the
chryselephantine statue of Asklepios was the work of Thrasymedes of Paros.
The tholos was built next to the temple in
360-330 BC. This circular, peristyle building was the centre of the chthonic
mystery cult of Asklepios and its famous sculptures are attributed to the
Argive architect and sculptor Polykleitos, who is also
considered to be responsible for the theatre at Epidavros, one
of the most perfect and the best preserved of the ancient Greek theatres. |
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To the north of the temple and
the Tholos is the
Avaton or
Enkoimeterion, a
portioned building in which the sick, having first been
purified and having offered sacrifice, were required to go to
sleep, so that the god could appear to them in a dream to cure
them, or indicate to them the treatment to be followed. The
discovery during the excavations of a large number of medical
instruments affords evidence for the view that practical medical
operations were also carried out in the sanctuary. Around the
sacred precinct of Asklepios were erected temples to other
deities (Artemis,
Aphrodite and Themis), along with buildings to provide
services for the hosts of pilgrims and installations for the
athletic and music contests (stadium, palaestra, gymnasium, baths, Odeon and
theatre).
Set apart from the sanctuary (southwest) is
the theatre, the most outstanding in the ancient world owing to
the beauty of its setting, its magnificent lines and harmonious
proportions.
It
was built in the 4c by the Argive architect, Polykleitos and is
set into the north slope of Mount Harani facing the valley sacred
of Asklepios. In 1954 it was restored to take modern productions
of the ancient repertory as well as musical recitals at
which Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960) and Maria Callas have
performed.
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Destinations in Greece
Epidavros
Festival - In summer (late June to late August at weekends) the plays of the
Greek dramatics are performed in the theatre. Tel: 0753 22026
Monday-Thursday 9.00-14.00 & 17.00-20.00, Friday- Saturday 9.30-21.30
Entrance Fee: from 20 to 80 Euro.
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