Welcome to the Thymele of Epidaurus - The Harmonics of Healing, part of a series of projects about the world of ancient Greek culture, architecture and archaeology.
The Harmonics of Healing is designed to give our audience accurate and detailed information about the famous healing god Asclepius and his sanctuary at Epidaurus in southern Greece Epidaurus is a large archaeological site located in the northeastern Peloponnese, not far from Corinth, and is famous for its sanctuary in honor of the healing god Asclepius.
Epidaurus was one of the most celebrated healing centers of the ancient Greek world. Huge numbers of individuals flocked here in search of cures
when other healers and treatments had failed.
Those who visited the sanctuary for healing would sleep within the temenos in the hope of meeting the god in a dream in which Asclepius would appear to them and perform a medical procedure or suggest a course of treatment to regain their health.
Due to the popularity of this thriving sanctuary, in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC the citizens of Epidaurus began an ambitious program of architectural expansion, erecting or enlarging and renovating many buildings and monuments.
Epidaurus would remain active into the 5th century AD when the growing popularity of another divine healer, Jesus, eclipsed that of Asclepius and other pagan gods. Still to this day, however, Epidaurus is a remarkable place whose remains have preserved amazing tales of miraculous healing and a very special building that is just now being restudied in order to better understand its purpose and function: the Thymele. This circular building - sumptuous in detail and unique in design - has provoked discussion and debate in academic circles for centuries.
Epidaurus is a place of mystery, of superb architecture unlike anything else in ancient Greece, a locus of miracles and medicine.
THYMELE Book publication
The Thymele at Epidauros: Healing, Space, and Muscial Performance
in Late Classical Greece Paperback – 15 Nov 2017 Amazon by Peter Schultz (Author), Bronwen L. Wickkiser (Author), George Hinge (Author),
Chrysanthos Kanellopoulos (Author), John Franklin (Author)
The Thymele at Epidauros is one of the most enigmatic buildings of the ancient Greek world. At the center of this book there lies a mystery. It is a mystery that has intrigued scholars for almost two centuries — a mystery that revolves around unique marks, sacred geometries, perplexing architecture, hidden passages, uncertain timelines, and lost rituals.
It is a mystery that has yet to be solved. In this important book, an international, interdisciplinary team has compiled, synthesized, and speculated on a host of new (and old) clues that bring the puzzles circling the thymele at Epidauros into clearer focus. While the ancient ideas and intentions that motivated the construction of this remarkable building remain shrouded by time, the material evidence, the epigraphical record, and the literary testimonia hold numerous potential solutions.
Through reexamination of these clues and their contexts, the authors hope to spark fresh debate regarding the form, the function, and the meaning of this unique and mysterious ancient architecture. Publication reviews can be seen at the following online reviews:
Bryn Mawr Classical Review LINK
Archaeological Institute of America LINK