Thursday, June 19, 2025
Epidavros is known for having the
best-preserved theater in all of Greece.
It could seat 15,000 people and is still used today for plays and
concerts. The acoustics are so good that
even sitting in the top of the stands, you can clearly hear spoken words from
the stage area below.
But Epidavros was much more than just
the theater. It was a healing center
where people came from all over the area to find respite from their
illnesses. And the healers who practiced
at Epidavros were among the best in the world.
They performed complex surgeries and had an amazing success rate.
But the healing of the body was not the only pursuit. The ancient Greeks, and many of the ancient peoples, believed that the body and mind were intimately connected. Thus, you could not heal the body without also involving the mind and spirit.
The site consisted of hotels where you could rest until it was time for your treatment, and convalesce afterwards. It is believed that the hotel had three levels, each with 80 rooms. There were cooking areas to prepare food for all the guests, and areas for baths and exercise. The theater was a place to exercise and relax the mind. There was even a stadium where games were held.
In the museum was a statue of Asclepius,
the god of medicine and healing. His
staff with the entwined snake is still used as a symbol of medicine. The staff represented wisdom, especially the
wisdom that comes with age (at least for some of us 😊). The snake was a symbol of rebirth or
renewal, since it shed its skin and was “reborn”.
Below that is a detail of the scrollwork. . The relief carving is amazing.
