Personal: Asclepios And Medicine Flashcards
Who was Asclepius ?
- sometimes presented as a hero other times as a god
- He is son of Apollo and his mother is either Coronis or Arsinoe
- worshipped throughout Greece without a tomb as a focal point
Why is Asclepius a typical as a hero ?
Most of the time for hero’s they are worshipped with a tomb however for Asclepius there is no tomb proving the lack of a hardline between god and hero
What happens at Asclepius’ death ?
He was apotheosed- turned into a god- by Zeus at Apollos request
- shrines are all around the Green world worshipping him
What is the sanctuary of Askelpius in Athens ?
Erected in 420BC it’s the Asclepieion
What did a typical visit to a sanctuary of Asclepius look like ?
Preparatory bathing, sacrifice and sleeping in the stoa or Tholos (circular temple) of a sanctuary known as incubation
- length of the stay depended upon the nature of illness and success of recovery
How would invidiuals be cured ?
- the god would appear before them in a dream curing them
- the god would instruct the surgery which would then be completed by the temple staff
- Through prescription of medicine or specific diet and exercise received in dreams by incubation
Where does most of our evidence come from ?
Votive offerings thanking the god for curing them from illness
- Tyxh marble relief
How is the process personal ?
- Personal decision to go the sanctuary
- potential personal experience of deliverance from ailment
- personal gift in return for healing
What is a difficulty with the offerings ?
All of them are from successful cures
This could be confirmation bias as we have no marble offerings from those unsuccessful
Where is there a Tholos ?
At Epidaurus
- underneath it lay a labyrinth possibly containing snakes
