How do you feel when you visit an ancient sacred place?
With some places you feel a deeper connection, while there are places that make you feel uncomfortable for a reason. I don't think that anyone would feel some kind of negative feeling when visiting the sanctuary of Asklipios in Epidaurus. It doesn't only have to do with the energy of the sanctuary, but also with the landscape, the harmony of nature blending with the ruins and the beauty all around.
I love greek mythology for its wild imagination, but especially for the human characteristics that the ancient were giving to their gods. Gods were not distant and they were far from perfect. Their weaknesses, their passions, were bringing gods close to people, they could feel connected with them, they could relate to them. Gods had characteristics of the morals and the morals could be lifted to gods.
Asklipios was believed to be the son of god Apollo and a mortal woman (in terms of love, nothing could stop greek gods and this part of mythology was really imaginative!), but he was a mortal himself and it was due to his healing powers that people made him a god. They said he could heal any disease, even win death. But that started making things too complicated for gods so Zeus killed him with a lighting.
This sanctuary was built where according to mythology Asklipios was born.
People would go there to be cured. It was the most famous sanctuary in Mediterranean. After a sequence of rituals, at night and in their sleep the god would come and reveal to them what they had to do in order to be cured.
At the photo below, we see the remaining of the buildings that used to host the patients, around 160 beds as they estimate. Archaeology and archaeological sites demand a good eye and a lot of imagination to rebuild the story :)
Of course there were baths.
There was a kind of restaurant where ceremonial meals were taking place. All rituals were related with the worship of Asklipios.
A stadium. As you might have already guessed, all games and races where devoted to the healing god.
I was the witness of a race between son and father :)
Various temples.
I specially loved this spot, where according to the sign "the first ash altar and ritual feasting where located".
The temple of Asklipios.
And the "Avato", the sacred place of the healing, inaccessible to those who hadn't gone through a kind of preparation in order to come in contact with god in their dreams.
The dome, under conservation.
The altar of Asklipios.
The sacred fountains.
For the end I left the theater of Epidaurus, that has its own post here as it is interesting and magic on its own.
My parents loved history, so any time we were traveling there was no doubt we were going to visit an archaeological site or a museum. There is a story about me being around 3 or 4 years old crying and grumbling that I don't want to go to another museum while they were just taking me to a traditional weaving workshop (little I knew back then about how my life would lead me to a weaving loom).
I don't think I ever grumbled about going to Epidaurus, even if it was a family trip or a school excursion or a summer evening at the theater during the festival.
Thanks so much for reading!
It's a beautiful and sacred place. I'm personally loving it.
It is special for sure :)
Thanks so much for stopping by!
This is so ... magical, wonderful, inspiring!!! I must admit I have always felt a strong inspiration toward Greek Mythology. When I was 8 or 9 I first read a few myths in school and have been a devotee of Aphrodite and Demeter ever since. And later on others of the pantheon too. Sometimes it seems so silly that the goddesses of a different time and a land far away that I have never been to hold such importance in my life but, oh well, it just is!
It would be so nice if the place where I live now had more sacred sites. Sadly they have all been taken over by the Christian Church and no information of what they once were, or even where they were (in most cases) remains. But, I can say that I do live by a sacred mound and I do really appreciate this sacred site of Asklipios!
I am thrilled about this, I find it beautiful! And I can understand what you mean, I have always been attracted by the myths and stories of the indigenous people especially of Central and North America. For a reason, I feel deeply connected to that part of the earth :)
Here as well, and almost everywhere in the world, churches were built literally on ancient temples...
But so nice that you live by a sacred mound!
Thanks so much for your feedback :)
I loved Greek Mythology as a child. It was one of my favorite things to learn about... and to this day, it's still something that i enjoy very much. This post is awesome and had some information in there i was not aware of. Seeing the place adds even more to the experience of vicariously joining you on your journey! Thanks for sharing the shots and your post with us here in the community!
Super glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for the beautiful reply and your support!
I find it amazing that you love greek mythology and still find it interesting :)
You are very welcome! Yes, i grew up watching visual effects from Ray Harryhausen and a lot of his content had some Greek mythological influences. It stoked the passion for it when i was quite young. Come to find out... much of the content was not quite accurate. Clash of the Titans was a great movie but the mythos was completely wrong. But, i would have never known if i hadn't studied for myself.
Aha, nice! Yes, usually these movies are "loosely based on the myths" as Wikipedia says, haha! But so nice that it triggered you to study it deeper. Finding out that things weren't exactly as described must have felt like a great discovery :)
Amazing pictures of a very sacred place. I could feel it just by looking at the photos.
Thank you for sharing :)
Thanks so much sweet Katerina!
Wow, wonderful. Those pictures and I imagine the energy of the place is something a bit difficult to explain in words. Serenity... maybe. Solemnity.... What foods would those be?
So you work on a weaving loom? And have you published about it?
!PIZZA
Thanks so much @nanixxx! Many feelings indeed, serenity yes, and I guess a feeling of being so small as a part of history, a quite grounding feeling :)
Hahaha, that's a really good question! I wonder the same! Maybe I can find some more info about it. Archaeologists sometimes find remains of the food in the pots etc, so there might an answer or better an hypothesis about it (archaeologists are really good at guessing and coming up with stories:)
Oh yes, I do :) I have made some posts about it and I just published one if you are interested!
Thanks so much for your beautiful feedback!
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@nanixxx(2/5) tipped @traisto