Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(along with more modern plays, opera and music), first performed here up to 2000 years
ago. The site occupies a glorious setting amid pine-clad hills. Not surprisingly, Epidavros
is a protected World Heritage site.
If visiting Epidavros on your own by car, do not be confused by the sign to P Epidav-
ros (Paleia Epidavros) - this means Ancient Epidavros. To confuse matters more, the so-
called 'small theatre' used for some festival performances is located here; the 'large
theatre' referred to on festival programs is at the main site, signed as Theatre of Edipav-
ros.
History
Legend has it that Asclepius was the son of Apollo and Coronis. While giving birth to
Asclepius, Coronis was struck by a thunderbolt and killed. Apollo took his son to Mt
Pelion, where the physician Chiron instructed the boy in the healing arts.
Apollo was worshipped at Epidavros in Mycenaean and Archaic times, but by the 4th
century BC he had been superseded by his son. Epidavros became acknowledged as the
birthplace of Asclepius. Although the afflicted worshipped Asclepius at sanctuaries
throughout Greece, the two most important were at Epidavros and on the island of Kos.
The fame of the sanctuary spread, and when a plague raged in Rome, Livy and Ovid
came to Epidavros to seek help.
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
rejuvenation. Other treatments provided at the sanctuary involved diet instruction, herbal
medicines and occasionally even surgery. The sanctuary also served as an entertainment
venue and every four years, during the Festival of Asclepieia, Epidavros hosted dramas
and athletic competitions.
Sights
Theatre of Epidavros HISTORIC SITE
Today it's the 3rd-century theatre, not the sanctuary, that pulls the crowds to Epidavros. It
is one of the best-preserved Classical Greek structures, renowned for its amazing acous-
tics; a coin dropped in the 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 pi-
lasters . It's used for performances of ancient Greek drama during the annual Hellenic
Festival ( Click here ) .
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