Epidaurus Ancient Theatre

Epidaurus, the most famous ancient theatre

Epidaurus was a small polis in Greece, known for its ancient Sanctuary of Asclepius and stunning theatre.

Today, the Epidaurus is one of the most famous Greek tourist attractions and an excellent choice for a one-day excursion from Athens.

During our trip from Nafplio to Epidaurus, we were passing by the huge hills with pines, endless fields of olives and citrus trees and the coast with the blue sea. And when we finally came there, we could breathe clean and fresh air!

 

Sitting in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

Sitting in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

 

How to get to Epidaurus

Epidaurus is located about 150 km from Athens, on the eastern coast of the Argolid Peninsula in the northeastern Peloponnese.

The best way to visit it is by car because it takes approximately one and a half to two hours to reach it.

Another option is to catch a bus from Kifissos KTEL Bus Station in Athens to Napflio, which takes about 2 hours. Then from Napflio, there are departures to Palea Epidaurus and theatre. It takes about 1 hour but check carefully the KTEL schedule because of the limited number of departures. During the festival in the ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, there is a special bus itinerary from Nafplio and Athens to Epidaurus.

Usually, many travel agencies organize excursions from Athens or Napflio. Trips include visits to Mycenae, Epidaurus, and Nafplio. We visited Epidaurus on an organized excursion from Athens with the travel agency “Mayak Tours”.
Check platforms Get Your Guide and Viator, or travel agencies and find the best trip for you.

 

 

Tickets for the Epidaurus archaeological site

The ticket price includes visits to the Ancient Theatre, the Archaeological Museum, and the archaeological site.

♦ From April to October, the price is 12 EUR, and the reduced ticket is 6 EUR.
Opening time: April-August: 8 AM to 8 PM, in September to 7 PM, in October to 6 PM.
From November to March, the price is 6 EUR for all visitors.
Opening time: 8 AM to 5 PM.

You can read more about closed days and free tickets here.  

 

What to see in Epidaurus archaeological site

The whole archaeological site belongs to the Epidaurus Municipality, located near the traditional village of Lygourio.

Ancient Epidaurus was a small town about 10 km away, on the coast of the Saronic Gulf. A new small tourist resort with a port was built at the same place, known as Palaia Epidavros or Palaia Epidauros. A few km away, there is another small town with a similar name, Nea Epidavros.

By the way, the Epidaurus archaeological site consists of:
♦ The Ancient Theatre,
◊ The Sanctuary of Asclepius and Tholos,
♦ Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus.

Because of its exceptional historical importance and architecture, it was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1988.

Map of the Ancient Epidaurus archaeological site

Map of the Ancient Epidaurus archaeological site

 

The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

According to Pausanias, the Greek traveller and geographer, the Theatre of Epidaurus dates back to the end of the 4th century BC. It was designed by Polykleitos the Younger, the architect from Argos.

The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

A view of the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

 

The theatre of Epidaurus was built of local grey limestone. It is located on a natural slope of Mount Kynortion and at the southernmost edge of the Sanctuary of Asclepius. Visitors entered the theatre through two impressive gates situated on both sides of the former stage building.

Entrance to the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

Entrances   to the Ancient Theatre

 

The ancient theatre consists of three parts: orchestra, cavea and stage building.

The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

Parts of the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

 

The floor of the circular orchestra is from beaten earth. It is 20 m in diameter, with a stone circular frame around it. A circular white base of the former altar can be seen even today in the middle of the orchestra.

Cavea are seating sections in Greek and Roman theatres. The lower level of the theatre has 34 rows of seats, divided into 12 sections by stairs and walkways. Later, in the 2nd century BC during the Roman period, 20 rows were added, divided into 22 sections.
Once, the first row had backrests and it was known as the “front seats of honour”.

Rows of seats in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

Rows of seats in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

 

The stage-building (the scene) is situated in front of the orchestra and cavea. It was used for actors’ needs and as a storage room for theatre equipment.

By the way, the theatre was excavated in 1881 by the Greek archaeologist Panagiotis Kavvadias and his team. Since the discovery, there have been several restorations to protect this architectural marvel.

 Epidaurus Ancient Theatre

Epidaurus Ancient Theatre

 

Unique acoustics of the theatre

The theatre could host between 13,000 to 14,000 spectators.

Despite various experiments and research, scientists have not been able to explain the unique acoustics of the theatre until today. It means that no matter where you sit, you will hear every word perfectly, even a whisper!

There are several theories, but most scientists think that it is because of the project design, specific soil composition and seats made of limestone, which reflect high frequencies towards the audience. Also, limestone provides a filtering effect, suppressing low frequencies of voices and minimizing background crowd noise.

Epidaurus Ancient Theatre

Epidaurus Ancient Theatre

 

Whatever the reason for the perfect sound, sitting in the place where the ancient Greeks sat in the 4th century BC was an amazing feeling 😀

Sitting in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

Sitting in the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

 

What was the Epidaurus Theater used for?

The Epidaurus Theater was used for musical, dance and dramatic plays. It was connected to the cult of Asclepius, the son of Appolo and the Greek god of medicine.

It was believed that theatre had positive mental and physical effects on health. Hm, very interesting belief, isn’t it 🙂

Because of its incredible acoustics, the theatre is used even today.
The Epidaurus Summer Festival has been held in July and August every weekend since 1955. Many famous artists took part in music and theatrical performances, such as Maria Callas, Yiannis MoralisMíkis TheodorakisMontserrat Caballé, etc.

 

The Sanctuary of Asclepius 

The Sanctuary of Asclepius was one of the most important sanctuaries in the ancient world. It was considered the foundation of medicine which included temples, baths, and a hospital. It was a new way of healing that combined a traditional way with religious rituals.

So, the patients prepared themselves by bathing for purification, fasting, and reading about miracles. Sleep was an imitation of the death and resurrection. The god approached patients in a dream and in a miracle way heals them, or shows them treatments to be cured.

“The treatment was based on the belief that every human disease has psychosomatic causes and that the power to restore health must arise from inside the patient himself” (source: website Climascape).
Well, it was a mix of magical energy and auto-suggestion…

Sometimes, pharmaceutical drugs were given to the patients, and some of them had surgical treatments. Various medical tools were found there, and they can be seen in the nearby museum.

Scene of healing in Epidaurus healing centre

Scene of Asclepius healing in Epidaurus centre

 

The sanctuary of Asclepius flourished in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC as a centre of healing and worship. At that time, many important buildings were built, and their ruins can be seen on the site. Also, many new buildings were erected in the 2nd century AD during the Roman time.

At the end of the 4th century AD, the site was looted by Goths. Then, the emperor Theodosius II banned paganism in AD 426, leading to the Asclepius cult’s end, which was replaced with an early Christian basilica. Finally, the site was abandoned in the middle of the 6th century AD.

 

What you can see in the Sanctuary of Asclepius

Today, only parts of the building’s foundation can be seen on the site.

The Tholos, also known as the Thymele was built by Polykleitos the Younger. It is a circular building with an outer colonnade of 26 Doric columns and an inner 14 Corinthian columns. Below the tholos, there was the labyrinth with sacred snakes. Probably, it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 6th century AD.

Tholos of Epidaurus

Tholos of Epidaurus


The Temple of Asclepius was the central building in the sanctuary. It was erected around 370 BC and destroyed by fire after the 4th century AD. The temple was surrounded by 6 columns on the shorter side and 11 columns on the long side.
The sculpture of the god Asclepius on the throne was in the middle of the temple, which was richly decorated. Also, there was a treasury in an underground chamber with precious objects and votives. Close to the temple, there was one bigger altar used by the Greeks, and one smaller, used by the Romans.

Epidaurus, the temple of Asclepius

The temple of Asclepius

 

◊ The Temples of Artemis is dedicated to Artemis, the sister of Appolo. She was the goddess of childbirth and the protector of young women.

 Epidaurus, Temple of Artemis

Epidaurus, Temple of Artemis

 

Gymnasium, important for recovery and maintaining health.
◊ Abaton with stoa
was a place for sleeping and incubation (ritual rest).
Dining room, Greek baths and Roman baths.
Katagogion is a square-shaped building used to accommodate pilgrims, the sick and their companions during their stay in the sanctuary.
An ancient stadium from the 5th century BC, where athletic competitions took place.

The Sanctuary of Asklepios is located behind the museum. Unfortunately, we didn’t see it because of the limited time. So, if you can, visit the ruins of this marvellous healing centre.

Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

The archaeological museum is one of the oldest archaeological museums in Greece, opened in 1909. You can see valuable artefacts that were found on the Epidaurus site in the small hall and two rooms.

Building inscriptions

Close to the entrance, there are huge building inscriptions of Epidaurus temples. They are texts with important information about the people who were responsible and who built the buildings, the materials used for construction, and various details.

Building inscriptions in the Arch museum of Epidaurus

Building inscriptions in the Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

 

The statue of  God Asclepius and medical instruments

The God Asclepius is presented with his serpent-entwined staff (the Rod of Asclepius). By the way, the serpent was the symbol of medicine and health care, and the snake was considered as sacred animal.

Even today, several organizations and services worldwide use the rod of Asclepius as their logo or part of their logo.

 

A few words about Asclepius

According to Greek legend, he was the son of Appolo (the god of archery, music, healing, light, and prophecy), and Coronis, a mortal woman from Trikala, Thessaly. After she betrayed him during her pregnancy, Apollo ordered his twin sister Artemis to kill her. Watching Coronis at the funeral pyre, Apollo felt guilty and cuts Coronis’s stomach to save his unborn child. This might be one of the first Caesarean sections in history.

Asclepius statue with his serpent-entwined staff,

Asclepius’s statue with his serpent-entwined staff

 

So, Apollo gave a baby to Chiron, a half-human half-horse creature. He taught Asclepius the secrets of healing and surgery.  Soon, Asclepius became an important healer and helped many people, kings, and warriors. According to legend, goddess Athena gave him a small bottle of Gorgon blood with magical properties.

Another myth said that in return for Asclepius’s kindness, a snake licked Asclepius’s ears and taught him secret knowledge of medicine. By the way, snakebites were the most difficult to heal in ancient times.

Also, Asclepius healed  Philoctetes, the son of the king of Thessaly during the Troyan War, who was recovering on the Island of Lemnos.

👉 You can read more about the interesting Lemnos here: Secrets of Lemnos Island.

However, Asclepius had the power to return the dead persons to life. But the Appolo’s father, God Zeus wasn’t satisfied because of  “disturbing the normality of things and Nature”. So, he strucked Asclepius with a thunderbolt, and he died as a mortal man.
Because of its huge help in healing people, Zeus included Asclepius among the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Also, his image with a snake was transferred to the stars, known as the constellation Ophiuchus.

Sanctuaries of Asclepius

The cult of Asclepius flourished after the Asclepius death. Experiences of miraculous healings are preserved on votive tablets. About 300 asclepieions (healing temples) were built in his honour.

The most famous temples were in Trikala, Epidaurus, Pergam, Athens and on the Kos island, which we visited in 2006. By the way, the most important descendant of Asclepius was Hippocrates who founded a medical school on Kos. He is considered the father of medicine. And of course, we are familiar with the Hippocrates Oath.

 

Medical instruments

In the museum, we saw medical tools used in healing treatments by the Asclepius priests of the sanctuary.
Hmm, they are very similar to instruments which are used today!

Medical instruments, The Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

Medical tools, The Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

 

The most of medical tools were found in the tombs of several generations of the medical family, discovered on the outskirts of Epidaurus.

Medical instruments, The Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

Ancient Medical instruments

 

Besides medical instruments, there are small jars, objects and lamps, probably used for drugs, and as votive offerings.

Epidaurus Small jars and lamps

Small jars, objects and lamps

 

Statues and ruins of the walls 

Various big and small statues from the Archaic period to the Roman times can be seen in the museum.

Statues in The Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

Statues in the Museum of Epidaurus

 

Some of them are replicas because the original statues were transferred to the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.

Epidaurus, Inscribed honorary and Statues from the Sanctuary Asklepius

Inscribed honorary and statues from the Sanctuary of Asclepius

 

Also, there are columns and parts of temples and sanctuaries, such as the Temple of Artemis and the Tholos of Epidaurus.

Inside of The Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

Columns and ruins of walls in the Archaeological Museum

 

Wall parts, the Archaeological museum of Epidaurus

Wall parts, the Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus

 

What to see close to Epidaurus

Indeed, the Epidaurus area has some unique and healing energy. Surrounded by beautiful nature, it is known as the place “to harmonize the mind, body and soul”. The theatre with music, dance and philosophy feeds the mind and soul, which is strongly connected with healing the body.

Depending on your accommodation, you can visit some interesting places close to the Epidaurus site.
Beaches in the ancient Epidaurus area.
Mycenae, the kingdom of King Agamemnon.
👉 You can read more about this amazing site here: Mycenae, the heart of the Mycenean world.

Delphi, the ancient Greek oracle.
◊ Walk across the Corinth Canal and visit the archaeological museum of Corinth.

 

If you like the story about the ancient Epidaurus theatre and sanctuary,
stay tuned for the new one about the incredible Delphi oracle

 

 

Source:
♦ Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus
Website VisitGreece
♦ Website Greeka
Website Warwick 

 

 

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