Located at the eastern end of the Peloponnese, 62 kilometres south of the Corinthian Canal, Epidaurus was an ancient healing as well as a cultural center.Today its major draw is the almost perfectly preserved Amphitheatre.
The view, aesthetics, and acoustics of the theater are breathtaking. Its awe-inspiring acoustics are built with mathematical precision for the 14,000-seat theatre, 2,500 years ago. If you drop a matchstick in the centre of the original beaten earth stage it can be heard by people sitting in the highest of the 55 tiers. Epidaurus Theatre is a World Heritage Site and is an incredible feat of Greek achievement. It was then used for musical and poetry contests and theatrical performances.
Today, it still continues to amaze and delight audiences with frequent play
s, concerts, and festivals, the highlight being the Annual Hellenic Festival held in July and August. Tickets for it can be bought either at the site or at the Athens Festival box office in Stadiou, (the main street connecting Omonia and Syntagma squares Athens). You can purchase a ticket that includes transport to and from Athens which is approximately a two and a half hour bus ride. Watching a Greek Tragedy enacted on the ancient stage from the ancient limestone stone seat is an experience beyond words. It lifts your spirit to the time of the ancients and you share the space with them and live the Greece of antiquity.
The rest of the site requires a little research and imagination to be fully appreciated but the notable ruins include:
The Foundations of the Temple of Asclepius: Greek mythology states that Epidaurus was the birthplace of Asclepius, the god of healing and son of Apollo. The site became one of the most important centres of healing in the ancient world and by the 4th century BC the cult was well established and the sick travelled from far to seek medical and mystical cures at the sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius. Alongside the Temple of Asclepius are the remains of the "Abaton" where patients slept in the hope of receiving a miraculous cure. Another structures, associated with healing is the bee-hive shaped "Tholos" that was once a snake-ridden labyrinth. Mentally ill patients had to crawl through it in darkness in the hope that the shock would bring them into good health!
Sanctuary of Egyptian gods
Sports Stadium
Odeon
Bath Complex
Museum: It displays ancient surgical tools, intricately carved reliefs from the Tholos and stone inscriptions detailing miraculous cures that supposedly took place at the sacred site
For more information visit:
http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/epidaurus.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidaurus; http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Theater_at_Epidauros.html (pictures)
How to Reach:
From Athens by Car: It is on the coach day trip circuit for tourists from Athens. However you can also drive down. Follow the signs to the "Ancient Theater of Epidaurus" which appears at regular internals after Corinth. They assure that you are on the right path because for a couple of hours it seems like a road to nowhere with no sign of life or gas stations.
From Nauplion by Car: Getting to Epidaurus from Nauplion is easier as the road is wider and the gas stations more frequent. Bus tours are also available from here.
By Bus: During festivals, there are also four or five buses that connect Nauplion to Epidaurus’ theatre. The only detail that should be kept in mind is to take only those with the sign indicating the theatre of Epidaurus, instead of those which sign says ‘Nea Epidavros’ or ‘Archea Epidavros’. Late at night, once the play ends, there is also a service to Nauplion making visitors’ return easier.
It is also on the tour bus circuit hence a lot of options are available from Athens and Nauplion
The view, aesthetics, and acoustics of the theater are breathtaking. Its awe-inspiring acoustics are built with mathematical precision for the 14,000-seat theatre, 2,500 years ago. If you drop a matchstick in the centre of the original beaten earth stage it can be heard by people sitting in the highest of the 55 tiers. Epidaurus Theatre is a World Heritage Site and is an incredible feat of Greek achievement. It was then used for musical and poetry contests and theatrical performances.
Today, it still continues to amaze and delight audiences with frequent play
s, concerts, and festivals, the highlight being the Annual Hellenic Festival held in July and August. Tickets for it can be bought either at the site or at the Athens Festival box office in Stadiou, (the main street connecting Omonia and Syntagma squares Athens). You can purchase a ticket that includes transport to and from Athens which is approximately a two and a half hour bus ride. Watching a Greek Tragedy enacted on the ancient stage from the ancient limestone stone seat is an experience beyond words. It lifts your spirit to the time of the ancients and you share the space with them and live the Greece of antiquity.The rest of the site requires a little research and imagination to be fully appreciated but the notable ruins include:
The Foundations of the Temple of Asclepius: Greek mythology states that Epidaurus was the birthplace of Asclepius, the god of healing and son of Apollo. The site became one of the most important centres of healing in the ancient world and by the 4th century BC the cult was well established and the sick travelled from far to seek medical and mystical cures at the sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius. Alongside the Temple of Asclepius are the remains of the "Abaton" where patients slept in the hope of receiving a miraculous cure. Another structures, associated with healing is the bee-hive shaped "Tholos" that was once a snake-ridden labyrinth. Mentally ill patients had to crawl through it in darkness in the hope that the shock would bring them into good health!
Sanctuary of Egyptian gods
Sports Stadium
Odeon
Bath Complex
Museum: It displays ancient surgical tools, intricately carved reliefs from the Tholos and stone inscriptions detailing miraculous cures that supposedly took place at the sacred site
For more information visit:
http://www.greeklandscapes.com/greece/epidaurus.html; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidaurus; http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Theater_at_Epidauros.html (pictures)
How to Reach:
From Athens by Car: It is on the coach day trip circuit for tourists from Athens. However you can also drive down. Follow the signs to the "Ancient Theater of Epidaurus" which appears at regular internals after Corinth. They assure that you are on the right path because for a couple of hours it seems like a road to nowhere with no sign of life or gas stations.
From Nauplion by Car: Getting to Epidaurus from Nauplion is easier as the road is wider and the gas stations more frequent. Bus tours are also available from here.
By Bus: During festivals, there are also four or five buses that connect Nauplion to Epidaurus’ theatre. The only detail that should be kept in mind is to take only those with the sign indicating the theatre of Epidaurus, instead of those which sign says ‘Nea Epidavros’ or ‘Archea Epidavros’. Late at night, once the play ends, there is also a service to Nauplion making visitors’ return easier.
It is also on the tour bus circuit hence a lot of options are available from Athens and Nauplion
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment