Epidaurus
Epidaurus was the most important sanctuary of Asclepius, the ancient Greek god of medicine, in the Greek world. Nestled at the foot of Mt. Arachnaion and its neighboring peaks, the site was said to be the birthplace of the god himself; worship here began in the sixth century BC and its reputation spread throughout the Greek world, drawing the sick from across the Mediterranean. The sanctuary complex was vast — it included hostels, a gymnasium, a stadium, and the celebrated theatre whose acoustics still astonish visitors. In 1988 it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. What you walk into today is more than a scatter of stones: it is an entire city of healing where medicine, myth, and performance were woven together. Every ruin still remembers its role.
Greece · 11 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
Tholos
Step around to the back of the Temple of Asclepius and you are standing on the foundations of a circular building: the Tholos. Ancient writers regarded it as the most celebrated structure in the entire sanctuary. At ground level today only the concentric rings of stone bases and broken column drums remain, but the inward-stepping circular plan — ring after ring narrowing toward a centre — is exactly what made it famous for millennia. Stand at the middle and look outward, and you can begin to imagine the weight it carried among the surrounding temples.
Katagogion (Pilgrims' Hostel)
The sanctuary was never just a place of worship — it was a residential healing complex. The Katagogion was its hostel: patients who had traveled from across Greece and the Mediterranean would stay within the sacred precinct, rest, and wait for the god to visit them in a dream and prescribe a cure. The rectangular foundations beneath your feet mark where those pilgrim patients slept and waited, part of a full suite of healing facilities that also included a gymnasium, a stadium, and a theatre.
Temple of Artemis
On the ridge of Katarachi hill overlooking the ruins of Palaia Epidavros — ancient Epidaurus — this scatter of foundation stones is one of the most easily overlooked corners of the archaeological zone. The temple's identity was established by a Roman-era inscribed statue base found here, which named Artemis under her epithet Orthosia, meaning 'she who sets upright.' When the geographer Pausanias passed through in the second century AD he specifically noted a temple of Artemis in the city, with the goddess depicted in hunting pose (Pausanias 2.29.1). What survives at ground level is a modest temple footprint, beneath which lie traces of a semicircular structure from the Early Bronze Age (Early Helladic II), showing that this hillside already served as a cult site long before the temple was built. In 1975 a bulldozer accidentally cut through one of the walls and brought to light an archaic bronze female figurine along with pottery spanning the Geometric to Roman periods; the Greek Archaeological Service conducted a formal excavation the following year (1976–1977). The dig also yielded a remarkable find hidden in the wall: a hoard of 92 gold staters, dated to around 300 BC by a coin of Demetrios Poliorketes among them — most likely the personal savings of a mercenary officer.
Sources: topostext.org · wikidata.org · periegesis.abm.uu.se
Acropolis of Epidaurus
The acropolis of ancient Epidaurus — today's Palaia Epidavros area — was the civic and religious heart of the city-state, a very different place from the Asclepius sanctuary several miles away: that was a healing precinct; this was the city's own hilltop centre. When Pausanias visited in the second century AD, he described several temples within the city: a temple of Artemis (goddess depicted hunting) and a sanctuary of Aphrodite in the urban area, and, on a projecting rock at the harbour, a shrine said to be that of Hera (Pausanias 2.29.1). At the very summit he recorded 'a wooden cult image worth seeing' — Athena, under her epithet Cissaea, the Ivy Goddess. Today the hillside still holds carved steps, stretches of wall, and scattered column bases, while the ground around them is littered with jewellery, coins, terracotta figurines, and pottery sherds — the sediment of a city active across a thousand years.
Sources: periegesis.abm.uu.se · wikidata.org · euscentia.com
Theatre of Epidaurus
Designed by Polykleitos the Younger and set into the western slope of Mt. Kynortion, this theatre was part of the Asclepius sanctuary at Epidaurus. Pausanias praised its symmetry and beauty, and identified the same architect by name. The theatre held between 13,000 and 14,000 spectators at its fullest and hosted the musical, choral, and dramatic competitions held in honour of Asclepius. Ancient physicians also believed that watching dramatic performances had real therapeutic benefit for body and mind — which is why this theatre was never merely an entertainment venue but an integral part of the healing programme.
Sources: el.wikipedia.org
Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus
This is the sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus — during the Classical and Hellenistic per… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Small Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus
This theatre sits on the hillside of the acropolis of ancient Epidaurus, next to the moder… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: el.wikipedia.org
Mycenaean Cemetery
On the eastern slope of Katarachi hill, west of Palaia Epidavros, more than thirty rock-cu… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: de.wikipedia.org · wikidata.org
Sanctuary of Aphrodite
Within the city of ancient Epidaurus — today's Palaia Epidavros — Pausanias recorded a san… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: periegesis.abm.uu.se · wikidata.org
Sanctuary of Hera
At the harbour of ancient Epidaurus, on a rocky promontory jutting into the sea, Pausanias… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: periegesis.abm.uu.se · wikidata.org
The Great Theatre and Its Acoustics
Designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the fourth century BC, the theatre was one of the g… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Epidaurus?
Tholos, Katagogion (Pilgrims' Hostel), Temple of Artemis and more — 11 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Epidaurus guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 6 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).