The ancient Asclepion and the cult of the god Asclepios

According to legend, the ancient Greek god Asclepios, was worshiped in ancient times as a patron of health and healing, was the son of Apollo and the Nymph Coronis. He learnt the art of healing from the wise and learned centaur Chiron. Asclepios is often depicted standing with a long wooden staff with a long snake entwined around it. This staff symbolises the tree of life and the entwined snake represents the mystical healing power of the earth and are remnants of pre-Greek cults that worshiped the Earth.

The cult of the god Asclepios in antiquity
The cult of Asclepios originated on the island of Kos (some sources also state the city of Trikala in the Greek region of Thessalia) and gradually spread throughout the whole of Greece and Asia Minor. In the classic Hellenistic period, shrines to Asclepios could be found in many small towns and also larger cities – around three hundred are known to date. The most important are to be found in the cities of Epidauros and Trikala on the Greek peninsula, in Pergamon in Turkey, in Lebena in Crete and of course on the island of Kos in the Aegean sea. Large numbers of pilgrims gathered at each of these healing shrines over the centuries from all corners of the ancient Greek world.

Ancient Asclepions
Temples to Asclepios – Asclepions – were always built on sites where sacred springs bubbled to the surface, the water of which was ascribed with the healing powers of the earth spirits. For this reason, it was believed that Asclepios influences the healing process of the sick through dreams, patients looking for help first bathed, drank the water from the spring and then slept in the temple complex (in the so-called Abaton). During their dreams, Asclepios himself or his snakes (assistants) appeared to the sick and gave them instructions for their recuperation. Treatment also included strict fasting before and during the time spent in the Abaton, bathing, prayer and also dreaming. The priests, although present in the shrines, did not operate as doctors, nor are there any records of medical treatment in the Asclepions.

The Asclepion on Kos
The most famous of all Asclepions (and also one of the most important ancient monuments) is to be found 2 km from the eastern shore of the Greek island of Kos. According to historical information, many important people of ancient times lived and worked here, among others, the father of medicine Hippocrates from Kos. A unique and well-preserved complex was discovered in 1902 by the German archaeologist Hertsok and the Greek Iakovos Zaraftis. The Asclepion is located in a green area filled with Cyprus trees on a hill with a magnificent view of the surrounding area. Thanks to the steep terrain, the Asclepion spreads out over four interconnected levels, the so-called Andira. The first is home to the ruins of a Roman building from the 1st century AD. The second, where a medical school was probably located, is famous above all thanks to its perfectly preserved temple arches and statues. This also houses a spa fed from the spring of King Halkon and the spring of Vournika, which begins on mount Dikeo. The third level housed the temple of Asclepios dating back to the 4th century BC. Excavations in this area also uncovered a semicircular podium and another small Roman temple consecrated to Nero. The fourth level was built in the 2nd century BC and includes a large temple in the Dorian style around which were cells for the patients.