Epidaurus () was a small city ( polis) in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: Palaia Epidavros and Nea Epidavros. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epidaurus, part of the regional unit of Argolis. The seat of the municipality is the town Lygourio.
Name and etymology
The name "Epidaurus" is of
Greek language origin. It was named after the hero Epidauros, son of
Apollo.
According to
Strabo, the city was originally named Ἐπίκαρος (Epíkaros) under the
Carians, (
Aristotle claimed that
Caria, as a naval empire, occupied Epidaurus and Hermione)
before taking the name Ἐπίταυρος (Epítauros) when the city was taken by the
Ionians and finally becoming Ἐπίδαυρος (Epídauros) after the
Dorians conquered the city. Compare the individual elements ἐπί (epí, "upon"), Καρία (Karía, "Carian"), ταῦρος (taûros, "bull") and Δωριεύς (Dōrieús "Dorian")/Δωριεῖς (Dōrieîs, "Dorians").
History
Epidaurus was independent of
Ancient Argos and not included in
Argolis until the time of the
Ancient Rome. With its supporting territory, it formed the small territory called
Epidauria. It was reputed to be founded by or named for the hero Epidaurus, and to be the birthplace of
Apollo's son
Asclepius the healer.
Buildings
Sanctuary of Asclepius
Epidaurus is best known for its healing sanctuary (
asclepieion) and the Sanctuary of Asclepius, situated about five miles (8 km) from the town, with its theatre, which is still in use today. The cult of Asclepius at Epidaurus is attested in the 6th century BC, when the older hill-top sanctuary of
Apollo Maleatas was no longer spacious enough. It was the most celebrated healing centre of the Classical world, the place where ill people went in the hope of being cured. To find out the right cure for their ailments, they spent a night in the
enkoimeteria, a big sleeping hall. In their dreams, the god himself would advise them what they had to do to regain their health. Within the sanctuary there was a guest house (
katagogion) with 160 guest rooms. There are also mineral springs in the vicinity, which may have been used in healing.
Asclepius, the most important healer god of antiquity, brought prosperity to the sanctuary, which flourished until the first half of the first century BC, when it suffered extensive damage when it was sacked by Sulla during the First Mithridatic War. It was revived after a visit by Hadrian in AD 124 and enjoyed renewed prosperity in the following centuries.[*
]
In AD 395 the Goths raided the sanctuary. Even after the introduction of Christianity and the silencing of the , the sanctuary at Epidaurus was still known as late as the mid 5th century as a Christians healing centre.
Theatre
The prosperity brought by the asclepeion enabled Epidaurus to construct civic monuments, including the huge theatre that delighted Pausanias for its symmetry and beauty, used again today for dramatic performances, the ceremonial
hestiatoreion (
hall), and a
palaestra. The ancient theatre of Epidaurus was designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the 4th century BC. The original 34 rows were extended in Roman times by another 21 rows. As is usual for Greek theatres (and as opposed to Roman ones), the view on a lush landscape behind the
skênê is an integral part of the theatre itself and is not to be obscured. It seats up to 14,000 people.
The theatre has long had a reputation for its exceptional acoustics, which reportedly allowed almost perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken words from the proscenium or skēnē to all 14,000 spectators, regardless of their seating, a tale often recounted by tour guides.
Other buildings
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Municipality
The municipality Epidavros was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following two former municipalities, that became municipal units:
[
]
The municipality has an area of 340.442 km2, the municipal unit 160.604 km2.
Gallery
File:The Ancient Stadium of Epidaurus.jpg|Stadion
File:Epiduros, Hestiatorium , 091087.jpg|Gymnasion
The stoa of Abaton or Enkoimeterion at the Sanctuary of Asclepius in Epidaurus.jpg|Abaton
File:Epidavros Odeio DSC 4028a.jpg|Odeon
File:Terms Epidauros.JPG|Roman baths
File:Bearded Asclepius, statue, AM Epidauros, Epim08.jpg|Statuette of Asclepius
See also
-
List of ancient Greek cities
-
Callon of Epidaurus
Further reading
External links
