Greece 12 - Peloponnese

PeloPonnese

ArGOLIS

PeloPonnese

SIGHTS

PeloPonnese

TIr

YNS

It is believed that licks from snakes were

one of the curative practices at the sanctuary.

Asclepius is normally shown with a serpent,

which – by renewing its skin – symbolises re-

juvenation. Other treatments provided at the

sanctuary involved diet instruction, herbal

medicines and occasionally even surgery.

The sanctuary also served as an entertain-

ment venue; and every four years, during

the Festival of Asclepieia, Epidavros hosted

dramas and athletic competitions.

1 Sights

oTheatre of Epidavros HISTOrIC SITE

(site adult/concession €6/3; h8am-7pm) One of

the best-preserved Classical Greek structures

in existence, now used for performances of

Ancient Greek drama during the annual Hel-

lenic Festival, the 3rd-century BC theatre is

the undisputed highlight of Epidavros. It’s

renowned for its amazing acoustics; a coin

dropped in the theatre’s centre can be heard

from the highest seat. Built of limestone,

the theatre seats up to 14,000 people. Its

entrance is flanked by restored Corinthian

pilasters and the foundations of the ancient

stage are beyond the circle.

Sanctuary of Asclepius ruIN

(site adult/concession €6/3; h8am-7pm) A short

walk from the Theatre of Epidavros, and

dotted with pine trees, lie the ruins of the

Sanctuary of Asclepius, dedicated to the

god of healing. The ruins include the huge

katagogeion, a hostelry for pilgrims and pa-

tients, the large banquet hall in which the

Romans built an odeum (a room for musical

performances), and the stadium – the venue

for the Festival of Asclepieia’s athletic com-

petitions. Just beyond is the remarkable tho-

los building, the Temple of Asclepius and

the abaton. You first reach the large, square

katagogeion, beyond which is the former

gymnasium-cum-banquet-hall in which the

Romans built an odeum. It was here that the

Festival of Asclepieia took place.

The path meanders past the remains of

the stadium on your left. Ahead is the cir-

cular tholos (built 360–320 BC and under

heavy reconstruction at research time), orig-

inally surrounded by two circles of columns:

Doric and Corinthian. In the centre there

used to be a small labyrinth and one of the

theories is that patients were put in there for

a ‘healing encounter’ with snakes.

To the northeast are the foundations of

the Temple of Asclepius and next to them

is the abaton. The therapies practised here

seemed to have depended on the influence

of the mind upon the body. It is believed that

patients were given a pep talk by a priest on

the powers of Asclepius, then put to sleep in

the abaton to dream of a visitation by the

god. The dream would hold the key to the

healing process.

East is the Sanctuary of Egyptian Gods,

which indicates that the cult of Asclepius

was an adaptation of the cult of Imhotep,

worshipped in Egypt for his healing powers.

Museum MuSEuM

(adult/concession incl site entry €6/3; h8am-7pm)

Between the Sanctuary of Asclepius and the

Theatre of Epidavros, this museum houses

statuary (mostly copies) that once adorned

the Temple of Asclepius, stone inscriptions

recording miraculous cures, some alarming-

looking surgical instruments, votive offerings

and fragments of intricately carved reliefs

from the ceiling of the sanctuary’s tholos.

z Festivals & Events

Athens & Epidavros Festival THEATrE

(%210 928 2900, 27530 22026; http://www.greekfestival.

gr/en; hJul & Aug) The Theatre of Epidavros

PEREGRINATIONS OF PAUSANIAS

Lonely Planet and its alternatives were beaten to the publishing of guidebooks by nearly

20 centuries. The traveller and geographer Pausanias wrote what is believed to be the

first – and most definitive – ‘guidebook’ for tourists in the 2nd century AD. His work, De-

scription of Greece (sometimes known as To u r or Itinerary of Greece), is a series of 10

volumes in which he describes most of Greece as seen at the time (between AD 143 and

161), covering the regions of Attica, Boeotia, Phocis and Ozolian Locris, plus the regions

that make up much of the Peloponnese: Corinthia, Lakonia, Messinia, Elia, Achaïa and

Arkadia. Classical Greek scholars, historians and archaeologists regard it as an extremely

important historical work for its insight into places, people, monuments and sites, as well

as associated facts and legends. Pausanias is believed to be from Lydia in Asia Minor and

travelled extensively throughout Greece, Macedonia, Italy and parts of Asia and Africa.