Temple of Olympia
Pictures of Greece
Epidavros
Epidavros (or Epidauros) is the home of 'the most famous theatre in antiquity' and the Sanctuary of Asklepios. The theatre holds 12,000 people, and was designed in the 4th century BCE by the scuptor and architect Polycleitus. It is certainly well-preserved; so well-preserved, in fact, that there are still performances held there today.
The acoustics in the theatre are very good. As I stood at the very top to take this picture, I could hear the shuffling of everybody's feet in the sandy gravel in the orchestra.
Possibly the most amazing thing about the theatre is how well preserved it is. I have visited a number of theatres in both Greece and Turkey, but none of them are as well-preserved as this one. It is in almost perfect condition.
A short distance from the theatre lies the Sanctuary of Asklepios. Asklepios was a physician who was said by Xenophon to raise the dead. He was later deified for his many virtues.
The Sanctuary was the premier healing facility in ancient Greece. However, it wasn't like a modern-day hospital. In fact, it was probably closer in nature to the medieval hospitals, where the healing of the spirit was as important, if not more so, than the healing of the body.
Apart from the Sanctuary building itself, there are a number of other structures at Epidavros, including the gymnasium. Unfortunately (for us), the Roman Empire later spread to this part of the world, and they decided to build an Odium (or Odeion - a covered music hall) right in the middle of the gymnasium.
Down a short embankment, and on the opposite side of the modern road from Návplion, lies the stadium. Sadly, this is not in anywhere near as good a state as the theatre.
Apart from Asklepios, a number of other gods are represented at Epidavros. Among them are Apollo (Asklepios' father), Isis (an Egyptian goddess who can be described as a goddess of the dead), and Artemis (Apollo's sister and therefore Asklepios' aunt). There are a number of temples to these deities dotted around the site, of which the temple of Artemis, shown here, is structurally probably the best preserved.
The focus of the Sanctuary is believed to have been the tholos, which is believed by some to have been a snake-pit. Asklepios was associated with snakes, and was often depicted carrying a staff with a sacred snake coiled around it. Harmless yellow snakes were apparently kept in the Sanctuary, and they were believed to be messengers of the god. Still, there is a disagreement about the actual function of the tholos, with some suggesting it was used as a form of therapeutic shock-treatment, while others believe it was used as a 'rite of passage' for the priesthood. Whatever its ancient function, it is being reconstructed using shiny new blocks of stone.
Another structure being reconstructed is the propylaea (entrance) of the Sanctuary. Again, shiny new blocks of stone are being used, which unfortunately gives it the impression more of a modern fake than a genuine ancient structure.
Although the Romans managed to destroy a fair portion of the gymnasium when they built their Odium in the middle of it, part of the older Greek structure remains. From the southeastern corner of the gymnasium, you can see the Odium, with the reconstruction of the propylaea barely visible behind it.
