- Epidaurus
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/ep'i dawr"euhs/, n.an ancient town in S Greece, in Argolis: sanctuary of Asclepius; outdoor theater still in use.
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Town, ancient Greece.An important commercial centre in the northeastern Peloponnese, it was famed for its 4th-century-BC temple of Asclepius. Excavations of the sacred precinct have uncovered that temple and other buildings, including a theatre, stadium, and hospital. Offerings of small clay body parts have been found, and inscriptions record divine medical cures. Originally Ionic, Epidaurus became Doric under the influence of Argos, to which it owed religious allegiance; politically it remained independent until Roman times.* * *
▪ ancient city, Greecein ancient Greece, important commercial centre on the eastern coast of the Argolid in the northeastern Peloponnese; it is famed for its 4th-century-BC temple of Asclepius, the god of healing. Excavations of the sacred precinct reveal that it contained temples to Asclepius and Artemis, a theatre, stadium, gymnasiums, baths, a tholos, a hospital, and an abaton, an area where patients slept. Inscriptions record divine medical cures. Originally Ionic, Epidaurus became Doric under the influence of Argos, to which it owed religious allegiance; politically it remained independent.* * *
Universalium. 2010.