Dining Hall of the Sanctuary of Asklepios

The ceremonial gymnasium of the ancient games

In Epidauros itself there was first a place for the worship of Apollon, more precisely Apollon Maleatas. Since the 5th century BC BC, however, Asklepios joined his mythological father of the gods, Apollo. Although Apollo continued to be worshiped in his own temple, the healing god Asklepios increasingly lured pilgrims and those seeking healing to Epidaurus, where a specially designed pilgrimage path was uncovered. According to a Greek myth, Asklepios was born here. However, there were other sites that claimed this fame, often with older claims, such as Trikka in Thessaly. The rise of the Asklepios cult is probably mainly related to the plague epidemic in Athens and the founding of the local Asklepios sanctuary at the foot of the Acropolis. Since the Epidaurians knew how to praise their place as the birthplace of the god, this developed in the 5th, but at the latest in the 4th century BC. to the most important sanctuary of this god and became very rich. This can be seen above all in the brisk building activity taking place at this time. Due to the increased importance, Epidaurian daughter shrines arose in numerous places in the ancient world, for example in Athens, in Pergamon or in Rome.