Ancient Epidaurus, the original deluxe healing centre

The theatre 

Built in the sanctuary’s heyday, in the 4th-century BC during the Hellenistic period, the theatre originally sat 6,000 spectators. But as the renown of the Asclepeion grew, so did its theatre’s seating capacity, more than doubling over time. Essentially, it was a place of entertainment for patients, with theatrical productions being considered part of their therapy. And more than two millennia later, visitors are still enjoying the gift of the theatre’s acoustics and the setting, with reproductions of ancient tragedies and comedies. 

The guest house

Continuing into the sanctuary, the first building you encounter is the so-called Katagogeion, essentially a hotel. So many visitors, so many patients, so many worshippers… they all needed somewhere to sleep and, naturally, the level was high. Even in our day, it would be considered a big building, with two floors and 160 rooms, some opening on to four courtyards filled with plants and trees. They were full-on luxury suites for those who didn’t want to sleep in tents. The dolce vita clearly had a place in antiquity too.

The Palaestra and Odeon

The large palaestra (like a gymnasium) was where patients could exercise as part of their treatment. But it wasn’t just patients who used it. This is where athletes who came to take part in games staged in Epidaurus worked out. And patients, in turn, enjoyed live sports events featuring the best athletes of the time. An Odeon was added in the previously empty main courtyard for new events brought by the Romans, such as pantomime and singing contests.

The stadium

The restored remains of the Stadium of Epidaurus are impressive. The more you explore the site, the clearer it becomes how important athletic events were to the therapy and recovery of patients. And just as in the palaestra, these spaces weren’t used just by patients. Everyone who gathered in the sanctuary for festivals and events, or to worship at the temples, watched the athletes competing.

The Temple of Asclepius

The god of medicine was actually born in Trikala, not Argolida. But as if the folk of Epidaurus would leave it at that? With the growing popularity of the sanctuary, it wasn’t long before new myths came into being and Ascelpius was soon a local. It would have helped in the marketing of the hospital! So it was only reasonable that the most elaborate temple of the sanctuary be dedicated to Asclepius. We can imagine how impressive the temple would have been from the exceptionally fine sculptures decorating it, many of which can be admired in the on-site museum and in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.

The Tholos

Amongst the most mysterious buildings of the ancient world, the circular Tholos (known as the Thymele) would have been a structure of immense beauty and elegance. Some of its relics, preserved in the site’s museum, take the breath away for the perfection of their execution. We know that it was designed by Polykleitos the Younger, who wrote a book about it, describing the building and its use. Unfortunately, the book hasn’t survived and there is no other reference to the Tholos, so it remains an enigma yet to be solved. Prevailing wisdom supports the theory that it was the monumental tomb of an ancient hero, within which mystical ceremonies took place. Ongoing excavations, support this possibility.

Enkoimeteria (or Abaton)

Right next to the Tholos is the principal building, from a medical perspective, of the sanctuary. It was called the Enkoimeteria (or Abaton) and is where patients spent the night in order for Asclepius to come to them in a dream. The priest-doctors would interpret the dreams the following day and prescribe the therapy. We have many inscriptions referring to the “miracles” of Asclepius and legends spread far and side, such as that of the mute child. The doctors asked the father if he intended to pay for the treatment, to which the child replied emphatically: “Yes!”. As medicine developed throughout the Hellenistic period (323BC- 31AD) and beyond, superstition began to be replaced by therapies with a more scientific approach.