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EPIDAURUS

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Originally appearing in Volume V09, Page 688 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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EPIDAURUS , the name of two See also:

ancient cities of See also:southern See also:Greece. 1. A maritime See also:city situated on the eastern See also:coast of Argolis, sometimes distinguished as i1 iepd 'Erika See also:pen, or Epidaurus the See also:Holy. It stood on a small rocky See also:peninsula with a natural See also:harbour on the See also:northern See also:side and an open but serviceable See also:bay on the southern; and from this position acquired the epithet of Siaropos, or the two-mouthed. Its narrow but fertile territory consisted of a See also:plain shut in on all sides except towards the See also:sea by considerable elevations, among which the most remarkable were See also:Mount Arachnaeon and Titthion. The conterminous states were See also:Corinth, See also:Argos, Troezen and Hermione. Its proximity to See also:Athens and the islands of the Saronic gulf, the commercial advantages of its position, and the fame of its See also:temple of Asclepius combined to make Epidaurus a See also:place of no small importance. Its origin was ascribed to a Carian See also:colony, whose memory was possibly preserved in Epicarus, the earlier name of the city; it was afterwards occupied by See also:Ionians, and appears to have incorporated a See also:body of Phlegyans from See also:Thessaly. The Ionians in turn succumbed to the See also:Dorians of Argos, who, according to the See also:legend, were led by Deiphontes; and from that See also:time the city continued to preserve its Dorian See also:character. It not only colonized the neighbouring islands, and founded the city of See also:Aegina, by which it was ultimately outstripped in See also:wealth and See also:power, but also took See also:part with the See also:people of Argos and Troezen in their settlements in the See also:south of See also:Asia See also:Minor. The monarchical See also:government introduced by Deiphontes gave way to an See also:oligarchy, and the oligarchy degenerated into a despotism. When Procles the See also:tyrant was carried See also:captive by See also:Periander of Corinth, the oligarchy was restored, and the people of Epidaurus continued ever afterwards See also:close See also:allies of the Spartan power.

The governing body consisted of 18o members, chosen from certain influential families, and the executive was entrusted to a select See also:

committee of arlynae (from 47-limy, to See also:manage). The rural See also:population, who had no See also:share in the affairs of the city, were called KOPLVOSes (" dusty-feet "). Among the See also:objects of See also:interest described by See also:Pausanias as extant in Epidaurus are the See also:image of See also:Athena Cissaea in the See also:Acropolis, the temple of See also:Dionysus and See also:Artemis, a See also:shrine of See also:Aphrodite, statues of Asclepius and his wife Epione, and a temple of See also:Hera. The site of the last is identified with the See also:chapel of St See also:Nicolas; a few portions of the See also:outer walls of the city can be traced; and the name Epidaurus is still preserved by the little See also:village of Nea-Epidavros, or Pidhavro. The Hieron (sacred See also:precinct) of Asclepius, which lies inland about 8 m. from the See also:town of Epidaurus, has been thoroughly excavated by the See also:Greek Archaeological Society since the See also:year 1881, under the direction of M. Kavvadias. In addition to the sacred precinct, with its temples and other buildings, the See also:theatre and See also:stadium have been cleared; and several other extensive buildings, including See also:baths, gymnasia, and a See also:hospital for invalids, have also been found. The sacred road from Epidaurus, which is flanked by tombs, approaches the precinct through a gateway or See also:propylaea. The See also:chief buildings are grouped together, and include temples of Asclepius and Artemis, the See also:Tholos, and the Abaton, or See also:portico where the patients slept. In addition to remains of See also:architecture and See also:sculpture, some of them of high merit, there have been found many See also:inscriptions, throwing See also:light on the See also:cures attributed to the See also:god. The chief buildings outside the sacred precinct are the theatre and the stadium. The temple of Asclepius, which contained the See also:gold and See also:ivory statue by See also:Thrasymedes of See also:Paros, had six columns at the ends and eleven at the sides; it was raised on stages and approached by a ramp at the eastern front.

An inscription has been found recording the contracts for See also:

building this temple; it See also:dates from about 46o B.C. The sculptor Timotheus—one of those who collaborated in the Mausoleum—is mentioned as undertaking to make the acroteria that stood on the ends of the pediments, and also See also:models for the sculpture that filled one of them. Some of this sculpture has been found; the acroteria are Nereids mounted on sea-horses, and one See also:pediment contained a See also:battle of Greeks and See also:Amazons. The See also:great See also:altar See also:lay to the south of the temple, and a little to the See also:east of it are what appear to be the remains of an earlier altar, built into the corner of a large square edifice of See also:Roman date, perhaps a See also:house of the priests. Just to the south of this are the See also:foundations of a small temple of Artemis. The Tholos lay to the south-See also:west of the temple of Asclepius; it must, when perfect, have been one of the most beautiful buildings in Greece; the exquisite See also:carving of its See also:mouldings is only equalled by that of the See also:Erechtheum at Athens. It consisted of a circular chamber, surrounded on the outside by a Doric See also:colonnade, and on the inside by a Corinthian one. The architect was See also:Polyclitus, probably to be identified with the younger sculptor of that name. In the inscription recording the contracts for its building it is called the Thymele; and this name may give the See also:clue to its purpose; it was probably the idealized architectural representative of a See also:primitive See also:pit of See also:sacrifice, such as may still be seen in the Asclepianum at Athens. The foundations now visible See also:present a very curious See also:appearance, consisting of a See also:series of concentric walls. Those in the See also:middle are thin, having only the See also:pavement of the See also:cella to support, and are provided with doors and partitions that make a sort of subterranean See also:labyrinth. There is no See also:evidence for the statement sometimes made that there was a well or See also:spring below the Tholos.

See also:

North of the Tholos is the See also:long portico described in inscriptions as the Abaton; it is on two different levels, and the See also:lower or western portion of it had two storeys, of which the upper one was on a level with the ground in the eastern portion. Here the invalids used to See also:sleep when consulting the god, and the inscriptions found here See also:record not only the method of consulting the god, but the manner of his cures. Some of the inscriptions are contemporary dedications; but those which give us most See also:information are long lists of cases, evidently compiled by the priests from the dedications in the See also:sanctuary, or from tradition. There is no See also:reason to doubt that most of the records have at least a basis of fact, for the cases are in See also:accord with well-attested phenomena of a similar nature at the present See also:day; but there are others, such as the miraculous mending of a broken See also:vase, which suggest either invention or trickery. In See also:early times, though there is considerable variety in the cases treated and the methods of cure, there are certain characteristics See also:common to the See also:majority of the cases. The patient consulting the god sleeps in the Abaton, See also:sees certain visions, and, as a result, comes forth cured the next See also:morning. Sometimes there seem to be surgical cases, like that of a See also:man who had a See also:spear-See also:head extracted from his See also:jaw, and found it laid in his hands when. 7e ' awoke in the, morning, and there are many examples resembling those known at the present day at See also:Lourdes or Tenos, where hysterical or other similar affections are cured by the See also:influence of See also:imagination or sudden emotion. It is, however, difficult to make any scientific use of the records, owing to the indiscriminate manner in which genuine and apocryphal cases are mingled, and circumstantial details are added. We learn the practice of later times from some dedicated inscriptions. Apparently the. old faith-healing had lost its efficacy, and the priests substituted for it elaborate prescriptions as to See also:diet, baths and regimen which must have made Epidaurus and its visitors resemble their counterparts in a See also:modern See also:spa. At this time there were extensive buildings provided for the See also:accommodation of invalids, some of which have been discovered and partially cleared; one was built by See also:Antoninus See also:Pius.

They were in the See also:

form of great courtyards surrounded by colonnades and See also:chambers. Between the precinct and the theatre was a large gymnasium, which was in later times converted to other purposes, a small See also:odeum being built in the middle of it. In a valley just to the south-west of the precinct is the stadium, of which the seats and See also:goal are well preserved. There is a See also:gutter See also:round the level space of the stadium, with basins at intervals for the use of spectators or competitors,and a See also:post at every See also:hundred feet of the course, thus dividing it into six portions. The goal, which is well preserved at the upper end, is similar to that at See also:Olympia; it consists of a See also:sill of See also:stone sunk level with the ground, with parallel grooves for the feet of the runners at starting, and sockets to hold the posts that separated the spaces assigned to the various competitors, and served as guides to them in See also:running. For these were substituted later a set of stone columns resembling those in the See also:proscenium of a theatre. There was doubtless a similar sill at the lower end for the start of the stadium, this upper one being intended for the start of the See also:diaulos and longer races. The theatre still deserves the praise given it by Pausanias as the most beautiful in Greece. The auditorium is in remarkable preservation, almost every seat being still in situ, except a few where the supporting walls have given way on the wings. The whole See also:plan is See also:drawn from three centres, the outer portion of the curves being arcs of a larger circle than the one used for the central portion; the See also:complete circle of the See also:orchestra is marked by a sill of See also:white See also:lime-stone, and greatly enhances the effect' of the whole. There are benches with backs not only in the bottom See also:row, but also above and below the diazoma. The acoustic properties of the theatre are extraordinarily See also:good, a See also:speaker in the orchestra being heard through-out the auditorium without raising his See also:voice.

The See also:

stage buildings are not preserved much above their foundations, and show signs of later See also:repairs; but their See also:general character can be clearly seen. They consist of a long rectangular building, with a proscenium or See also:column front which almost forms a tangent to the circle of the orchestra; at the middle and at either end of this proscenium are doors leading into the orchestra, those at the end set in projecting wings; the See also:top of the proscenium is approached by a ramp, of which the lower part is still preserved, running parallel to the parodi, but sloping up as they slope down. The proscenium was originally about 14 ft. high and 12 ft. broad; so corresponding approximately to the Greek stage as described by See also:Vitruvius. M. Kavvadias, who excavated the theatre, believes that the proscenium is contemporary with the See also:rest of the theatre, which, like the Tholos, was built by Polyclitus (the younger) ; but See also:Professor W. Dorpfeld maintains that it is a later addition. In any See also:case, the theatre at Epidaurus ranks as the most typical of Greek theatres, both from the simplicity of its plan and the beauty of its proportions. See Pausanias i. 29; Expedition de la Moree, ii.; See also:Curtius, See also:Peloponnesus, ii.; Transactions of See also:Roy. See also:Soc. of Lit., and series, vol. ii.; Weclawski, De See also:rebus Epidauriorum (See also:Posen, 1854). The excavations at the Hieron have been recorded as they went on in'the IIpaKrLK4 of the Greek Archaeological Society, especially for 1881–1884 and 1889, and also in the'E¢,tµepis 'ApxawXoyuui , especially for 1883 and 1885; see also Kavvadias, See also:Les Fouilles d'E`pidaure and Td 'IEpdp rou 'AeeX irwuFp 'E7riSabpq, Kai i Oepaxeia ride d.OBep n,; Defrasse and Lechat, Ep'idaure. A museum was completed in 1910.

2. A city of Peloponnesus on the east coast of See also:

Laconia, distinguished by the epithet of Limera (either "The Well-havened" or " The Hungry "). It was founded by the people of Epidaurus the Holy, and its See also:principal temples were those of Asclepius and Aphrodite. It was abandoned during the middle ages; its inhabitants took posession of the promontory of Minoa, turned it into an See also:island, and built and fortified thereon the city of Monembasia, which became the most flourishing of all the towns in the Morea, and gave its name to the well-known See also:Malmsey or See also:Malvasia See also:wine. The ruins of Epidaurus are to be seen at the place now called Palaea Monemvasia. A third Epidaurus was situated in Illyricum, on the site of the present See also:Ragusa Vecchia; but it is not mentioned till the time of the See also:civil See also:wars of See also:Pompey and See also:Caesar, and has no See also:special interest. (E.

End of Article: EPIDAURUS

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