Situated in the Saronic Gulf, Epidaurus is an ancient city that attracts many modern tourists and plays a key role in the Peloponnese tourism trade. Epidaurus is best known for its ancient theater, which is what attracts many of those tourists in the first place, but there’s a lot more to see and do in this town of over 8,000 inhabitants.
The Ancient Theater itself is a spectacle that is sure to make even the most hardened of historians go weak at the knees. It is thought to be the most aesthetically and acoustically perfect theater in the ancient world and it remains every bit as beautiful today as it did when it was first built.
Tourists can walk up and down the steps of this open-air theatre and they can also visit the nearby archeological site and museum. The Epidaurus ancient theater also plays host to a number of theatrical performances and lectures thought the year, and it is the perfect place to experience an ancient Greek play as the ancients themselves would have experienced it.
One of the most astonishing aspects of this theater is its acoustics. Someone standing in the middle of the stage and talk and be heard throughout the stands—a feat of architectural brilliance that has inspired many other stadium and theater designers.
The ancient town of Epidaurus also played a key role in Greek mythology. It is said to be the birthplace of Apollo’s son Asclepius, who was the god of medicine in Greek mythology, and in ancient times it was also one of the centers of healing in the Greek empire. In fact, the healing center at Epidaurus (known as an asclepeion after the aforementioned Greek god) was praised all over the ancient world and was as well known to the Romans as it was to the Greeks.
