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| The Healing God Asclepios |
Asclepius (/æsˈkliːpiəs/; Greek: Ἀσκληπιός, Asklēpiós [asklɛːpiós]; Latin: Aesculapius) was a god of medicine in ancient Greek religion. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters are Hygieia ("Hygiene", the goddess/personification of health, cleanliness, and sanitation), Iaso (the goddess of recuperation from illness), Aceso (the goddess of the healing process), Aglæa/Ægle (the goddess of beauty, splendor, glory, magnificence, and adornment), and Panacea (the goddess of universal remedy). He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Vediovis. He was one of Apollo's sons, sharing with Apollo the epithet Paean ("the Healer").[1] The rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff, remains a symbol of medicine today. Those physicians and attendants who served this god were known as the Therapeutae of Asclepius. ~wiki
One of our first stops on our Peloponnese Field Trip was the Temple complex of Asclepios at Epidaurus. Veneration and dedication to this god was focused a great deal around drama and theater, thus there is a fabulous theater at the site. This theater has some of the best acoustics to be found still remaining from the ancient world, partly due to its situation at the base of a hill.
Read more about the site HERE. If you are so inclined, Henry Miller wrote a beautiful description of Epidaurus from his visit back around the 1940s - well worth the read (I tried to copy it here, but no luck, as it is not readily available in digital form). It should also be noted that I was greatly impressed with the inscriptions at this site, many of which are recounting the great miracles at the blessing of Asclepios - very cool!
The weather was bitterly cold as we started our field trip - truly, it was snowing while we were there!
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