Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidaurus - Greece - World Heritage Sites on Waymarking.com

According to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list: "In a small valley in the Peloponnesus, the shrine of Asklepios, the god of medicine, developed out of a much earlier cult of Apollo (Maleatas), during the 6th century BC at the latest, as the official cult of the city state of Epidaurus. Its principal monuments, particularly the temple of Asklepios, the Tholos and the Theatre - considered one of the purest masterpieces of Greek architecture – date from the 4th century. The vast site, with its temples and hospital buildings devoted to its healing gods, provides valuable insight into the healing cults of Greek and Roman times."

According to Wikipedia: "The prosperity brought by the Asklepieion enabled Epidauros to construct civic monuments too: the huge theater that delighted Pausanias for its symmetry and beauty, which is used once again for dramatic performances, the ceremonial Hestiatoreion (banqueting hall), baths and a palaestra. The theater was designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the 4th century BC. The original 34 rows were extended in Roman times by another 21 rows. As is usual for Greek theaters (and as opposed to Roman ones), the view on a lush landscape behind the skene is an integral part of the theater itself and is not to be obscured."

"The theater is marveled for its exceptional acoustics, which permit almost perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken word from the proscenium or skene to all 15,000 spectators, regardless of their seating. Famously, tour guides have their groups scattered in the stands and show them how they can easily hear the sound of a match struck at center-stage. A 2007 study by Nico F. Declercq and Cindy Dekeyser of the Georgia Institute of Technology indicates that the astonishing acoustic properties are the result of an accident: The rows of limestone seats filter out low-frequency sounds, such as the murmur of the crowd, and amplify/reflect high-frequency sounds from the stage."

Type: Site Reference number: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/491

Visit Instructions:
Please upload at least one photo.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   04/26/2024 qc2m visited it 04/16/2024 Eibacher Kuckuck visited it 11/13/2023 littleblkdog visited it 01/25/2018 Zdenas visited it 09/12/2012 powerpeanut visited it 09/30/2011 Yeti' visited it 03/17/2011 SushiLover9 visited it 09/09/2008 doudou38 visited it 05/28/2008 Keeper of Maps visited it 04/08/2008 BekkiSue visited it 04/20/2007 Becktracker visited it 04/01/2007 thebuttonmushroom visited it 03/29/2006 Marine Biologist visited it 05/12/2005 denben visited it

View all visits/logs