ATHENS, GREECE—Traces of a building have been discovered at the Asclepeion of Epidaurus, according to The Greek Reporter. In antiquity, people traveled to Epidaurus, which is located on the Peloponnesian Peninsula of southern Greece, to seek cures from Asclepius, the son of Apollo and the god of medicine. The newly discovered building at the site dates to about 600 B.C., and was rectangular in shape, with a basement and mosaic floors. Vassilis Lambrinoudakis of the University of Athens said the structure was demolished to make room for the Tholos, where patients are known from historical records to have slept in the basement in order to dream of Asclepius, who would reveal a cure for illness. The newly uncovered building also had a basement space, and probably also served a similar function, he added. “This means the worship of Asclepius appears to have begun earlier in the Asclepeion of Epidaurus. Until now, it was believed to have begun around 550 B.C.,” Lamprinoudakis said. The presence of the building also explains the orientation of some later construction at the site. For more on Asclepius and the purported healing powers of dogs, go to "Artifact."
