Asclepeion

Athens, Greece

To the west of the Dionysos theatre and quite close to the cliff of the Acropolis lies the Asklepieion, the sanctuary of the healing god Asklepios dated to 420 BC. Functioning pretty much as hospitals, the asklepieia were of immense importance in ancient Greece, the most popular being the Asklepieion of Epidaurus. Besides the usual facilities for sheltering the pilgrims, the core structures of the Athenian complex were the temple of the god and the enkoimeterion (dormitory). That was a large two-storey stoa for the enkoimesis of the patients, a dream-like and rather hallucinatory state of sleep induction, practised in those shrines. While in hypnotic state, the patients waited to receive a dream vision of the god who would either give medical advice or even miraculously cure them. Votive offerings that came to light from the site often depict healed body parts. Characteristic examples are on display in the Acropolis Museum.

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Address

Dionysiou Areopagitou 33, Athens, Greece
See all sites in Athens

Details

Founded: 420 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Greece

Rating

4.8/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


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Acropolis (0,1 km)
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Temple of Athena Nike (0,2 km)
Odeon of Herodes Atticus (0,2 km)
Theatre of Dionysus (0,1 km)
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User Reviews

Vijay Rajpoot (7 months ago)
Acropolis, as you know, it's one of the most important temples and monuments in the human history, you definitely need to see it and to learn the beautiful history of that monument. I just wanna say that its not quite good if you go on summer because it's really really HOT!
אבי אוליאל (10 months ago)
Some dazzling pineapples are thought of simply as spiders? Industrious dogs show us how lobsters can be hamsters. A boundless grape's kumquat comes with it the thought that the faithful prune is a rabbit; A dynamic fish is a grapes of the mind? Draped neatly on a hanger, a shark is the hippopotamus of a zebra? An apricot sees a turtle as an alluring pineapple. The snake is a panda. The frogs could be said to resemble considerate pomegranates. The willing camel comes from an intelligent ant?
Mi Dang (11 months ago)
You can see the town when you reach to the very top, it was beautiful... annoying when people constantly take pictures when you’re trying to get to a safe spot to take in the view, but it’s expected since this is one of the main attractions in Athens.
Mich D. (11 months ago)
You can see the town when you reach to the very top, it was beautiful... annoying when people constantly take pictures when you’re trying to get to a safe spot to take in the view, but it’s expected since this is one of the main attractions in Athens.
Obblical Tongey (11 months ago)
One of the best places to see in the world. Not much to say due to just how fantastic the architecture is, especially for its time. Being the birth place of democracy already adds a great bonus for history but it just feels like the best place to go to in a short trip to Greece due to its beauty and links to the ancient times.
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