Epidaurus tour trips run through the Argolid, in the north-eastern Peloponnese, with a host. Ancient Epidaurus stood here by the shore of the Saronic Gulf, known for its healing sanctuary. Its story runs from Asclepius and Hygieia to the First National Assembly of 1821. Related trips include Mycenae tours and a Mycenae and Epidaurus day trip. More trips appear under Greece tours.
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What is an Epidaurus tour?
An Epidaurus tour is a private or small-group trip tied to ancient Epidaurus. Epidaurus was a small polis, or city-state, on the Saronic Gulf coast of the Argolid Peninsula. A city-state was one town with its own laws, army and nearby fields.
Its name honours Epidauros, a hero of myth and a son of the god Apollo. Strabo, a Greek geographer, recorded Epikaros as its earliest name, from the time of Carian rule. It became Epitauros when the Ionians took it. After the Dorians conquered it, the name settled as Epidauros.
Epidaurus stayed independent of Argos and outside Argolis until Roman times. With the land that supported it, the city formed a small territory called Epidauria. On an Epidaurus tour, a territory means land under one rule. Two modern towns now carry the name, Palaia Epidavros and Nea Epidavros. Palaia is Greek for old, and nea is Greek for new.
The healing sanctuary of Epidaurus, a holy place for the sick, flourished until the early first century BC. Then Sulla, a Roman general, sacked, or plundered, it during the First Mithridatic War. The Goths later raided the sanctuary in AD 395. For an Epidaurus tour, the Goths mean a Germanic people of late Roman times.
- Modern seat: The town of Lygourio is the seat of today’s municipality of Epidaurus.
- Civic pride: Wealth from healing paid for a ceremonial banqueting hall and a palaestra, a wrestling ground.
- Sea power: Aristotle claimed that Caria, then a naval empire, once held Epidaurus and Hermione.
Asclepius, the leading healer god of antiquity, brought wealth to the sanctuary. Mineral springs lie close by, and they were possibly used in healing. A mineral spring is water rising from the ground with dissolved salts in it. On an Epidaurus tour, antiquity means the ancient past.
Who was Asclepius, the healer god linked to an Epidaurus tour?
An Epidaurus tour is tied to Asclepius, a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion. In Latin his name was Aesculapius. He stood for the healing side of the medical arts. Medicine is the skill of curing illness and keeping people well.
Asclepius learned the art of medicine from the centaur Chiron. On an Epidaurus tour, a centaur means a creature of myth, half man and half horse. Asclepius carried a rod with a snake wound around it. That rod became a sign linked with healing. A rod is a straight staff of wood for walking.
The 12th-century writer John Tzetzes said Asclepius was first called Hepius. He gained his famous name after curing Ascles, a ruler of Epidaurus. Ascles had an eye illness thought to be incurable. Hades accused Asclepius of stealing his subjects. For an Epidaurus tour, Hades means the god who ruled the dead.
From the fifth century BC, his cult grew very popular. A cult means the worship given to a single god. Pilgrims flocked to his healing temples, hoping to be cured. Each sick visitor spent a night in the abaton, the holiest part of the sanctuary. In Epidaurus tour terms, a pilgrim means a traveller to a holy place.
- Famous temple: One of the best-known temples of Asclepius stood at Epidaurus, dated to the fourth century BC.
- Temple snakes: Harmless Aesculapian snakes slid freely across the floors where the sick and injured slept.
- Athens festival: The Epidauria was a festival held at Athens in honour of Asclepius.
Asclepius shared the epithet Paean, or the Healer, with Apollo. An epithet is a word of praise attached to a god’s name. The Hippocratic Oath began by swearing by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia and Panacea. On an Epidaurus tour, an oath means a solemn promise.
Which modern story does the First National Assembly add to an Epidaurus tour?
An Epidaurus tour has a modern chapter too, the First National Assembly at Epidaurus. It was the first meeting of the Greek National Assembly. The gathering united the Greek revolutionaries of the time. A revolutionary works to overthrow a ruling power.
The assembly opened in December 1821 at Piada, a place now called Nea Epidavros. Its delegates came from regions that had joined the revolution against Ottoman rule. On an Epidaurus tour, Ottoman rule means the long reign of the Ottoman sultans over Greece. Delegates are people sent to act and vote on behalf of a wider group.
The majority of delegates were local notables and clergymen. They came from the Peloponnese, Central Greece and the islands. In Epidaurus tour terms, a notable means a leading local figure of wealth or rank. Of 59 representatives, 20 were landowners, 13 were ship-owners and 12 were intellectuals. Alexander Ypsilantis and the main military leaders stayed away.
The first document the assembly adopted declared Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire. It also passed a temporary charter, the Provisional Regime of Greece, now called the Greek Constitution of 1822. A constitution sets out the basic laws and the shape of a government. For an Epidaurus tour, independence means freedom from rule by another state.
- Executive: The assembly chose a five-member executive, presided over by Alexandros Mavrokordatos.
- First government: That executive then named the first government, which had 8 ministries.
- Legislature: The first legislature, the body that passed the laws, had 33 members.
Demetrios Ypsilantis, brother of Alexander, became president of the legislature. The local notables controlled that body. On an Epidaurus tour, the Filiki Eteria means a secret society that worked for Greek freedom. Even so, the constitution made no mention of it.
What do travellers ask about Epidaurus tour, and what are the answers?
Epidaurus tour questions turn to four subjects. They are the architect Polykleitos the Younger, the Epidaurus Festival, the Small Theatre and the goddess Hygieia. Three belong to the ancient world, while the festival brings plays to the old stage today.
Before an Epidaurus tour, who was Polykleitos the Younger?
Polykleitos the Younger was an ancient Greek sculptor of athletes. His greatest work, however, came as an architect. He designed the Theatre and the Tholos at Epidaurus. A tholos is a round building. An architect plans buildings and directs how they are built. His father was the Classical Greek sculptor Polykleitos the Elder.
For an Epidaurus tour, what is the Epidaurus Festival?
Also called the Epidavria, the Epidaurus Festival is held in the ancient theatre of Epidaurus. Its programme takes in tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, plus comedies by Aristophanes. A tragedy is a serious play; a comedy is a funny one. The year 1975 brought the first shows there by companies outside the National Theatre.
Which smaller theatre comes up in Epidaurus tour questions?
Near the village of Palaia Epidavros stands its theatre, also called the Small Theatre of Epidauros. So far, 18 rows of seats have come to light, split into nine sections. Its orchestra, the flat dancing floor, began as a circle and became a half-circle in Roman times.
Ahead of an Epidaurus tour, who was the goddess Hygieia?
Hygieia was the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and hygiene. Hygiene means the everyday habits that keep people clean and well. Her main temples stood at Epidaurus, Corinth, the island of Cos and Pergamon. Asclepius was linked with healing, while Hygieia stood for preventing sickness and keeping good health.