Epidaurus is among the most important ancient sites of Greece. It is located only 2 hours drive from Athens. In ancient times, Epidaurus was famous for the Asklepion, a center for healing. The name of Asklepion is derived from the god of healing, Asklepius (also the son of Apollo).
From Athens, I joined a 4 day Classical Greece tour. My first stop is the Epidaurus. Along the way, the tour bus made a stop at Corinth Canal.
The Corinth Canal is a canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea.
The canal was completed in 1893. But due to its narrowness, navigational problems and periodic closures to repair landslides from its steep walls, it failed to attract the level of traffic expected. It is now used mainly for tourist traffic.
The canal is 8m deep, about 6km long and 21.3m wide at the bottom. The rock walls rises 90m from sea level.
You can try bungee jumping from the bridge across the canal.
After visiting Corinth Canal, I continued the journey to Epidaurus.
My tour guide buying the entrance tickets to the Archaological site of Asklepion from the ticket office.
There’s a small museum at the site that houses the excavated artifacts.
The main attraction at the Asklepion to tourist is the amphitheater.
You might be wondering why an amphitheater was built in a healing center, perhaps to entertain the patient and let them relax? That’s only partially correct.
The truth is Asklepion at Epidaurus gained fame for its unique healing practices. All the patients would sleep in a large sleeping hall and god Apollo would enter their dream. On the next day, the patients would narrate their dreams to the priests of the sanctuary, who would explain it and decide which treatment would be used to treat the patients.
To thank the god for his healing advice, the amphitheater was built for performances and ceremonies as part of the festivities for the gods.
The amphitheater has a capacity to host 15,000 spectators and it is famous for its exceptional acoustics. Today, the amphitheater is still used for evening performances in the summer.
Try standing at the center of the theatre and shout. You can hear the sound from the seats above.
The santuary of Asklepion at Epidaurus has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988.
The excavations began in 1881 under the guidance of Panagiotis Kavvadias, who devoted his entire life to Epidaurus.
The Hestiatorion Complex, in which ritual meats relating to the cult of Asklepion was consumed. The consumption of the food offered to the patient during the sacrifice and by the faithful ensured for them the divine power renewed by the sacred food.
There is also a stadium next to the Asklepion, where athletic competitions would take place to honor god Apollo and his son, Asklepius.
Abaton of Epidaurus.
The Abaton is the main therapeutic center. This is where the patients slept and dreamt about god entering their dream to give them healing.
The picture on the left shows a man with a wound on his toe and was heled by a serpent. The picture on the right shows a woman who came for the sake of an offspring. She dreamt that a handsome boy lifted her dress and after that the god touched her belly with his hand. After that dream, she gave birth to a son.
Well, it looks like archeologists are still excavating the site.
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