II. The Asklepieion at Athens
Before saying anything about the ritual and the treatment of the sick at the Hieron, it will be well to turn to the Asklepieion at Athens, and examine briefly the structural arrangements there. Situated on the south side of the Acropolis, at an elevation of perhaps eighty feet above the plain, adjoining on the east the theatre of Dionysus, the locality was probably as healthy as any the immediate neighbourhood of Athens could supply. The heat no doubt was great in summer, but we may conclude that a grove of large trees afforded grateful shade to the sick.
PLATE XIX—Portico of Eumenes and Acropolis
PLATE XX—Attempt at an Outline Restoration of the Asklepieion at Athens (R.C.)
PLATE XXI—Remains of Asklepieion from the West
[Plate XIX] represents the remains of the Stoa or Portico of Eumenes (so called) lying to the south of the Acropolis. To the extreme left is seen the temple of the Nike Apteros, and on the summit of the Akropolis the Parthenon. Between the Stoa and the rock of the Akropolis is situated the Asklepieion. The accompanying outline plan, [No. XX], is an attempt to give some idea of the arrangement of buildings within the precinct. The buildings were to a certain extent an imitation, on a smaller scale, and on a limited area, of those at the Hieron of Epidauros. Remains of what were probably a temple of Asklepios and Hygieia, of doric architecture, also a supposed temple of Themis, and a shrine of Isis, exist, while smaller shrines of Serapis, Kore, Hypnos, Herakles, Panakia, Demeter, and other divinities have left no distinct traces. There are considerable remains of a large eastern portico or abaton of pentelic marble, from which is reached a circular chamber in the rock containing the sacred well. Some of the masonry here seems to me to be of late Roman date.
PLATE XXII—Remains of Asklepieion from the East
[Plate XXI] represents the Asklepieion as seen from the western end, and [plate XXII] from the east. The building inscribed “western abaton” in [plan No. XX] may have been a supplementary abaton or a priest’s house or a covered gymnasium. A grove existed, perhaps occupying the space between the Stoa of Eumenes and the temples, or situated in a large vacant space to the west.
On an elevation above and close to the abaton is a curious well-like structure, surrounded by marble columns, which perhaps was the serpent pit.
PLATE XXIII—Supposed Serpent Pit and remains of Marbled Columns round it
[Plate No. XXIII] represents the remains of this curious and mysterious structure. I examined the masonry carefully to see if a direct communication between this supposed snake pit and the abaton could be traced, but failed to find it. If the purpose of the Tholos at Epidauros is that suggested above, viz., a place of sacrifice to the sacred serpents, may we not have here also the remains of a Tholos or Thymele on a small scale? Possibly the four marble bases are those of columns surrounding an altar to which the serpents ascended from their pit beneath, to receive the sacrificial cakes of the worshippers, who themselves stood beneath a roof carried by these columns. This of course is a mere hypothesis.
The grove contained great numbers of statues, busts, ex-votos, and inscriptions. The theatre of Dionysos close at hand was doubtless frequented by the sick as a diversion. The stall occupied by the priest of Asklepios, with his name on it, is still in excellent preservation, as seen in [plate XXIV]. He sat in the first rank, in a most honoured position, with his back to the setting sun, next to the priest of the Muses. The Panathenaic stadium, three-quarters of a mile away, doubtless was also frequently visited by the convalescents from the Asklepieion.
PLATE XXIV—Seats of Priests of Asklepios and of the Muses in the Theatre