The Athenian Asklepieion, the sanctuary of Asklepios and his daughter Hygieia, was founded in 420/419 BC by Telemachos (Τηλέμαχος), an Athenian from the deme of Acharnai (Ἀχαρναί), west of the city. The sanctuary is located to the west of the Theatre of Dionysos, on the South Slope of the Acropolis, between the Peripatos circuit path around the foot of the Acropolis and the rock itself (see Athens Acropolis gallery page 34).

The sanctuary contained a small Ionic temple, an altar, a bothros (pit for sacrifices) and two halls: the abaton, a Doric stoa (see photo below) used as an incubation hall in which visitors slept and were cured by the god who appeared in their dreams; and the katagogion, an Ionic stoa which provided accommodation for the priests and visitors. The cleft in the rock behind the sanctuary contained a sacred spring.

Pausanias briefly mentioned the sanctuary when describing the way from the theatre to the Acropolis:

"The sanctuary of Asclepius is worth seeing both for its paintings and for the statues of the god and his children. In it there is a spring, by which they say that Poseidon's son Halirrhothius deflowered Alcippe the daughter of Ares, who killed the ravisher and was the first to be put on trial for the shedding of blood."

The bearded male on the relief is thought to depict Lysimachides, although it has also been suggested that he may be Amynos. He is shown in profile facing left, bending forwards as if placing the colossal right leg he is holding with both hands in the sanctuary. The leg has a prominent vein, and he is either appealing to the god to heal his complaint, probably varicose veins, or the relief is an ex voto, dedicated in fulfilment of a vow to thank the deity for his cure. In a niche in the background stand two feet, perhaps previously dedicated to the god. Above the figure is part of the dedicatory inscription naming the man as Lysimachides, son of Lysimachos, from the deme of Acharnai (Ἀχαρναί), west of Athens.

— ο̣ιων τευξα — —
— ων σεμνοτάτην — —
[Λυσιμαχί]δης Λυσιμάχου Ἀχαρνε[ύς].

Acharnai was also the deme of Telemachos, who founded the sanctuary of Asklepios and Hygieia beneath the Acropolis around a century earlier (see above).

Amynos (Ἄμυνος) was a local heroized or deified healer, who is not mentioned in the surviving works of ancient authors. His sanctuary, the Amyneion, became associated with the worship of Asklepios from at least the fourth century BC. The site included a small chapel, a well and a table for sacrifices, and the earliest finds are from the sixth century BC. Several other inscriptions and dedications found there, dating from the fourth to second centuries BC, are related to healing, including anatomical votives with depictions of various body parts. Some inscriptions show that the sanctuary was the meeting place of the sacrificing associates (orgeones) of Amynos, Asklepios and Dexion, while other dedications were to Amynos and Asklepios.

Following preliminary excavations by Wilhelm Dörpfeld in Autumn 1892, during which the relief was discovered, the sanctuary was more thoroughly excavated in early 1895 by Alfred Koerte. Among the many dedications discovered by Koerte was an inscribed stele, dated to the fourth century BC, dedicated by a woman named Mnesiptoleme on behalf of Dikaiophanes to Asklepios Amynos (see drawing, right). This led to debate over whether the cult of Amynos had been assimilated by that of Asklepios. Perhaps Amynos had gradually ceased to be worshipped as a separate deity, and his name had become an epiphet of Asklepios.

The stele of bluish marble was found in the well of the sanctuary. It is in the form of a pillar with a cavatto capital (similar to the base of a statue by the sculptor Onatas). At the top the capital is a cutting (hole), 16.5 cm wide and 7.5 cm deep, for the attachment of the votive offering, perhaps a statue or a relief.

Total height of stele 118 cm. Shaft width bottom 25 cm, width top 23 cm, depth 17 cm. Capital width 32 cm, height 19 cm. Inscription letters 2 cm high.

The inscription on the capital:

Μνησιπτολέμη
ὑπὲρ Δικαιοφάνος
Ἀσκληπιῶι, Ἀμύνωι
ἀνέθηκε.

Mnesiptoleme on behalf of Dikaiophanes
dedicated (this) to Asklepios Amynos.

See:

Jane Ellen Harrison (1850-1928), Primitive Athens as Described by Thucydides, "The Amyneion", pages 100-105. Cambridge University Press, 1906. At the Internet Archive.

Illustration right, Fig. 32, page 103. Inscription first published in Alfred Koerte, Das Heiligtum des Amynos (see below).

Alfred Koerte, Bezirk eines Heilgottes, in Mittheilungen des Kaiserlich Deutschen Archaeologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung, Band 18, pages 231-256, plate XI (votive relief of Lysimachides). Karl Wilberg, Athens, 1893. At the Internet Archive. The article includes extracts from Dörpfeld's report on the site.

Alfred Koerte, Das Heiligtum des Amynos, in Mittheilungen des Kaiserlich Deutschen Archaeologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung, Band 21, pages 287-332, Tafel XI (plan of sanctuary by Wilhelm Wilberg). Barth & von Hirst, Athens, 1896. At the Internet Archive.

Part of a stele inscribed with decrees of cities of Macedonia
(Kassandreia, Amphipolis, Philippi) and the Ionian islands
(Kerkyra, Leukas) recognizing the asylia (inviolability) of the
Kos Asklepieion. 242 BC.

In 242 BC Kos sent theoroi (sacred ambassadors) to several
Greek cities, including those in Magna Graecia (southern Italy)
and Sicily, with a number of requests, including asylia and a
sacred pan-Hellenic truce during the time of the Great
Asklepieia Games. The granting of these conditions by the
decrees of various cities was important to the prestige of
the Asklepieion and Kos itself. The decrees were published
in the sanctuary. Another surviving (but very worn) stele
records similar decrees from Neapolis (today Naples) and
Elea in southern Italy, as well as Pella in Macedonia and
another city whose name is now missing, perhaps Pydna.
At the time Macedonia was ruled by King Antigonus II
Gonatas (319-239 BC), a rival of the Ptolemies of Egypt
of whom Kos was an ally. Nevertheless, the Koans declared
allegiance to Antigonus and a portrait of the king, painted
by Apelles, was exhibited in the sanctuary (see above).

A fragment from the upper part of a marble stele inscribed
on four sides with lists of victors in the Great Asklepieia
Games of 242/241 BC (the 1st games) - 202/201 BC (the
11th games). The surviving names on sides A-D are from
the years 242/241, 230/229, 218/217, 214/213, 210/209
and 206/205 BC.

Another, more complete stele, reassembled from several
fragments, records the victors of 198/197 BC (the 12th
games) - 170/169 BC (the 19th games). In total the two
surviving steles recorded results from 13 of the 19
Asklepieia Games known to have been held in Kos. The
chronological listing for each of the games includes the
name and patronymic (father's name) of the priest of
Asklepios, the monarch (eponymous magistrate of Kos)
and the agonothete (official in charge of the games).
The winner's name, patronymic and ethnic (place of
origin - when other than Kos - were inscribed. In later
years (e.g. the 18th and 19th games) the name of the
second finalist (runner-up) was also recorded.

A drachm coin of Kos with the snake symbol
of the Asklepios cult and the inscription
ΔΙΟΓΕΝΗΣ Α (Diogenes A), surrounded by
a wreath. 200-190 BC.

A drachm coin of Kos with the head of Asklepios
in profile, facing right. After 180/170 BC.

Bronze coin of Kos with the snake
symbol of Asklepios. Circa 20-10 BC.

Bronze coin of Kos with a snake-entwined
staff, a symbol of the Asklepios cult. Circa
20 BC - 10 AD, reign of Emperor Augustus.
On the obverse side is the laureated head
of Augustus and the Greek inscription
ΣΕΒΑΣΤΟΣ (Sebastos).

A bronze coin with the head of Asklepios in
profile, facing right, wearing a laurel wreath.
Kos mint. 10 BC - 10 AD, reign of Augustus.

Obverse side: Head of Augustus, facing right.

A bronze coin with the head of Asklepios in
profile, facing right, wearing a laurel wreath.
Kos mint. 10 BC - 10 AD, reign of Augustus.

Obverse side: Head of Augustus, facing right.

The inscribed marble pedestal from the monument to the Koan Gaius
Stertinius Xenophon (circa 10 BC - 54 AD), personal physician to Roman
Emperors Tiberius (reigned 14-37 AD) and Claudius (reigned 41-54 AD).
It was later alleged that he was involved in the murder of Claudius with
poison, said to have been instigated by the emperor's fourth (and final)
wife Julia Agrippina (Agrippina the Younger, 15-59 AD), mother of his
successor Nero (Tacitus, Annals, Book 12, chapter 67).

Roman Imperial period, 1st century AD.

A fragment of a marble stele inscribed with a letter
from Emperor Nero (reigned 54-68 AD) to the city
of Kos, mentioning Gaius Stertinius Xenophon.

Shortly after 54 AD.

Restored marble statue of Asklepios.
2nd century AD. From Rome. [13]

Height 117.5 cm, with plinth 124.5 cm.
Height of head 19 cm.

Antikensammlung, Berlin State
Museums (SMB). Inv. No. Sk 71.

Marble statue of Asklepios
of the "Chiaramonti type".

2nd century AD Roman copy of a Hellenistic Greek original. The right arm and snake-entwined staff are modern additions.

There were several places in Rome
dedicated to the cult of Asklepios,
including the Esquiline Hill and the
Tiber Island (see below).

Marble statue of Asklepios of the "Giustini type",
named after a torso of the god now in the
Capitoline Museums, Rome.

Late 2nd century AD reworking of an early
4th century BC Greek original attributed to
Alkamenes. Found in the 16th century on the
Tiber Island, Rome, the location of the city's
first sanctuary of Asklepios (see below).

Restored marble statue of Asklepios
of the "Giustini type".

The Roman period head, mid 2nd century AD,
and the body are from separate statues.
Both have been extensively restored.
Purchased in Rome in 1766 by Ludovico
Bianconi for Friedrich II of Prussia. Height
with modern base (Carrara marble) 213.5 cm.

The Rotunda, Altes Museum, Berlin.
Inv. No. Sk 69.

The Giustini type, one of around seventeen types of Asklepios statue, is named after a statue in the Centrale Montemartini (previously in the Palazzo Nuovo) of the Capitoline Museums, Rome. Inv. No. 1846. Its head, right arm and staff are now missing, as is the Omphalos beside the god's left foot seen on other statues of the type. Probably made during the reign of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD), it is thought to be a replica of a Greek work of the late 5th or early 4th century BC. The original was at first attributed to Alkamenes, on the basis of a brief mention by Pausanias of a statue of Asklepios in a temple at Mantineia in Arcadia, Peloponnese, that the healing god shared with Apollo, Artemis and Leto (the "Apollonian Triad"; see Nike).

"The Mantineans possess a temple composed of two parts, being divided almost exactly at the middle by a wall. In one part of the temple is an image of Asclepius, made by Alcamenes; the other part is a sanctuary of Leto and her children [Apollo and Artemis], and their images were made by Praxiteles two generations after Alcamenes. On the pedestal of these are figures of Muses together with Marsyas playing the flute."

Pausanias Description of Greece, Book 8, chapter 9, section 1. At Perseus Digital Library.

The type was also associated with a statue group of Asklepios with his family at the sanctuary of Asklepios and Hygieia on the south slope of the Athenian Acropolis, also mentioned by Pausanias (see quote above). However, he did not describe either statue of the god, making identification based on these brief mentions purely a matter of speculation. According to a more recent theory the original may have been made by a Peloponnesian artist between 420 and 380 BC.

A description of the "Giustini type" statue of Asklepios in Naples (Inv. No. 6360, photo above left):

"The god, clad in a himation, lays his right arm (a restoration) on his club, round which a snake is curled. At his left side is a low Omphalos, this being his attribute as Apollo's son. A picture of perfect health, he stands calmly in an attitude that recalls the school of Phidias.

Alkamenes is generally named as the inventor of this type. In 420 B.C. he made a statue of Aesculapius for Mantineia and perhaps a replica of it for Athens where the cult of the god had been introduced from Epidaurus."

Giulio De Petra (and others, as editors), Illustrated guide to the National Museum in Naples, sanctioned by the Ministry of education. page 27. Richter & Co., Naples, 1897 (?). At the Internet Archive.

The "club" is usually referred to as a staff or crutch. Other modern writers have described statues of the type more thoroughly, noting particular (and often slight) differences in details between the figures, such as pose, positions of limbs and folds in the himation (cloak). Variants of the Giustini type include the Giustini-Neugebauer (see below), Amelung and London-Eleusis sub-types. Another distinctive feature of the statues, though not restricted to this type, is the corona tortilis, a circular, rolled crown worn around the top and back of the head.

Marble statue of Asklepios of the "Giustini type", wearing the
corona tortilis and with the omphalos next to his left foot.

From Kabia (Καβαια) on the Sangarios river, Bythinia (Geyve, Sakarya province, Turkey).
Roman period, 1st century AD. Described on the museum label as "statue of male".

Marble statuette of Asklepios of the "Giustini-Neugebauer type",
wearing a corona tortilis, with the omphalos next to his left foot.

From Syracuse (Greek, Συράκουσαι; Italian, Siracusa), Sicily.
Roman period, 2nd century AD, copy of an early 4th century BC
Greek original. Height 105.7 cm, with plinth 111.3 cm.

Found on 7th December 1803 in the area of the so-called "Nymphaeum of Venus", near the hospital, in Achradine (Ἀχραδίνη, wild pear trees), a suburb of ancient Syracuse north of Ortygia, which contained the agora, a temple of Asklepios and temples of Demeter and Persephone (see Demeter and Persephone part 1). It was unearthed by the Catanian archaeologist and natural historian Saverio Landolina Nava (1743-1814), who was the Royal Custodian of Antiquities for the areas of Val Demone and Val di Noto in southeastern Sicily. His discovery of this statue and that of the "Venus Landolina" [14] just a month later, on 7th January 1804, excited local public interest in the ancient history of Syracuse and helped spur initiatives to form an archaeological museum in the city.

Marble statue of Asklepios, head
and lower right arm now missing.

2nd century AD. Excavated at Kourion
(Κούριον; Latin, Curium; modern Episkopi,
Επισκοπή) on the south coast of Cyprus.

Kourion Archaeological Museum, Episkopi.

Bronze statuette of Asklepios.

The statue was found among other antiquities during the excavation of the Spanish Walls of Ortygia in 1560, and was kept until 1810 in the Castello Maniaca. Since the identity of the statue was unknown (Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes and Timoleon were suggested), it was named "Don Marmoreo". The Spanish inscription on the chest commemorates the dedication of the castle to Sant Iago (Saint James), and of the four angular towers to the patron saints of the city (Peter, Catherine, Philip and Lucia), as well as the granting of permission to fire cannon salvos during Sant Iago's festival.

The Asklepios cult arrived at Delos around 100 years after it was established in Athens in 420 BC (see above). The Delian Asklepieion was built between the end of the 4th and the mid 3rd centuries BC, at the Bay of Fourni on the west coast of the island, quite a way south of the Sanctuary of Apollo and the residential districts. The area has not yet been thoroughly excavated, but ruins have been discovered of a propylon, an oikos, and a Doric tetrastyle temple.

Part of a marble stele inscribed with a decree by the people of
Rhodes (the demos) concerning the arrangement of dedications
in the sanctuary of Asklepios in the city of Rhodes. From the
inscription it is clear that the sanctuary, also known from literary
sources, was built on a succession of terraces in a similar way
to the Asklepieion of Kos.

First half of the 3rd century BC. Found in the Medieval moat near
the Gate of Agios Athansios at the south of Rhodes Old Town,
where further inscriptions relating to the Asklepios cult and the
Asklepieion have been subsequently discovered, and where the
sanctuary may have been located. It is hoped that the area will
be excavated sometime in the near future.

A now headless marble statuette of Asklepios
from the city of Rhodes.

Late 2nd - early 1st century BC.

Marble statuette of Asklepios holding
a snake-entwined staff in Rhodes.

Mid 2nd century AD. This statuette and
that of Hygieia (photo, right) appear to
belong together. Unfortunately, the
museum labelling provides no information
concerning their history or provenance.

Marble statuette of Hygieia in Rhodes.

Mid 2nd century AD.

The goddess wears a himation (cloak)
over a long chiton (tunic). In her right
hand she holds a large snake which
eats or drinks from the bowl (now
broken) in her left hand.

Marble statuette of Asklepios, the head, lower
left arm, right arm and feet of which are now
missing. The work is of the type known as the
Akragas Asklepios or Doria Panfili (or Doria
Pamphili) Asklepios. The original is thought to
have been made by a Peloponnesian artist
around 370-360 BC.

The type is named after the Villa Doria Pamphili,
Rome, where the best-preserved example is
kept. [15] As with a number of other statue
types, the deity is shown wearing a himation
which leaves his right shoulder and most of
his upper torso free to just below the navel.
In this type the himation appears to have
slipped off his left shoulder leaving it bare,
and seems to be kept from slipping further
only by the pressure produced by the arm
being held tightly to the side of the torso.
In the Villa Doria Pamphili statue the god's
staff or crutch can be seen supporting the
cloth. In front of the armpit is what appears
to be a knot or a bunching of the material.
The himation of this type covers the legs
only down to around the mid-calves.

Found in the andron (men's dining room) of
House B vi 7 in Olynthos, Halkidiki, Macedonia.
4th century BC, before the destruction of the
city by Philip II in 348 BC (see History of
Stageira part 6). This is the earliest known
depiction of Asklepios in marble from a
domestic setting. Height circa 35-40 cm.

Fragment of a marble statuette of Asklepios
with a red himation. The red colour may have
been a base for the application of gold leaf
(see the statuette from Corinth below).

2nd half of the 2nd century BC
after a model of the 4th century BC.
Height 40.5 cm, width 21 cm, depth 10.5 cm.

Found on the Dodecanese island of Kos,
one of the most important asklepieion
healing centres and the birthplace of the
most famous ancient Greek physician
Hippocrates (Ἱπποκράτης, circa 460-370 BC).

Skulpturensammlung, Albertinum, Dresden.
Inv. No. Hm 215 (formerly ZV 966). Purchased
in Munich in 1891 from a private individual.

Fragment of a marble statue of Asklepios
from the Asklepieion at Thespiai (Θεσπιαί),
Boeotia, central Greece.

Roman period, perhaps 2nd century BC.

Fragmentary marble statuette of Asklepios
of the Este type, depicting the god holding
a snake-entwined rod.

1st century BC. From Ano Apostoloi,
Kilkis (ancient Morrylos), Macedonia,
Greece. Height 74 cm.

Fragment of a small marble statue
of Asklepios-Serapis. [16]

2nd century AD. Found in 7th century AD
destruction debris over the "Omega House",
north slope of the Areopagos, south of the
Athens Agora, 25 May 1938. Height 84 cm,
width circa 37 cm, depth circa 18.5 cm.

Terracotta votive figurine of
a statue of Asklepios from
the Pergamon Asclepieion.

Reverse side of a bronze coin from Pergamon
showing Asklepios holding a snake-entwined
staff and Artemis of Ephesus.

Inscription: EΠI CEΞ KΛ - CEIΛI/ANO/
V - ΠEPΓ-AMHN-ΩN // KAI EΦECIΩN / OMON.

Minted during the reign of Emperor Gallienus,
(253-268 AD) by the Asiarch (magistrate)
Sextus Claudius Silianus. The obverse side
shows a bust of Gallenius, facing right,
wearing a laurel wreath and cuirass, and
the inscription: AVT K Π ΛIKI - ΓAΛΛIHNOC.
Diameter 37 mm, weight 27.26 grams.

Numismatic Collection, Bode Museum, Berlin.
Inv. No. 18200358.

Marble head of a statue of Asklepios.

Around 400 BC. From Rome.
Height 29.8cm, width 22 cm, depth 20 cm.

Pergamon Museum, Berlin.
Inv. No. Sk 1832.

A terracotta mask of Asklepios.

From the Asklepieion of Ancient Corinth,
Greece. 4th century BC. Height 20.7 cm.

Found during excavation of the Asklepieion
and the adjacent resort of Lerna, 1929-1934,
supervised by Professor F. J. De Waele of
Nijmegen University, Netherlands, attached
to the staff of the American School of Classical
Studies at Athens (ASCSA).

A larger than life-size marble head of
a colossal cult statue of Asklepios.

From the Cycladic island of Melos, Greece.
Hellenistic, around 325-300 BC.
Parian marble. Height 60 cm.

Found in the mid nineteenth century at the
Asklepieion on Melos, along with two votive
inscriptions dedicated to Asklepios and
Hygieia and a votive relief of a leg. It was
acquired by the French diplomat and
collector Louis, Duke of Blacas.

Marble head of Asklepios from a small statue.
As with a number of depictions of Asklepios,
the head appears to incline to the left.

From Kos. Circa 200-160 BC.

British Museum.
Inv. No. GR 1868.6-20.3 (Sculpture 1519).

Larger than lifesize marble head of Asklepios.

1st century AD, Augustan period. Believed to be a copy of a
Hellenistic original made around 175 BC by the Athenian sculptor
Phyromachos (Φυρόμαχος) for the Asklepieion at Pergamon.
The sculpting style and technique have been compared to
those of figures on the Gigantomachy frieze on the Great Altar
of Pergamon (circa 175 BC). Found in 1804 at the ampitheatre
in Neapolis, Syracuse, Sicily.

A marble head thought to be from a herm, found
in the Asklepieion of Ancient Corinth. Identified as
a head of the Zeus of Otricoli type, the original of
which is attributed to Pheidias.

Roman period.

Small marble head of Asklepios
wearing the corona tortilis.

From Crete. 2nd century AD.
Pentelic marble. Height 7 cm.

Small marble head of Asklepios from
the Yortanli Dam salvage excavation,
Allianoi, near Pergamon (see below).

Small marble head of Asklepios from the
agora of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece.
2nd - 3rd century AD, Roman period.

Marble head of a bearded male wearing
a crown, probably Asklepios.

Smaller than life-size. Roman period. Found on
the Mon Repos estate, Corfu, in the area now
known as Palaiopolis (Παλαιόπολης, Old City),
site of the ancient city Korkyra (Κόρκυρα).

Marble figurine of enthroned Asklepios
from the Pergamon Asclepieion.

A marble statuette of enthroned Asklepios.
The red colour was a base for gold leaf

From Corinth. 3rd - 4th century AD.
Height with base 42.3 cm,
height of figure 34.8 cm.

One of nine statuettes of deities, perhaps
small scale replicas of chryselephantine
cult statues, found in 1999 in the room of
a late Roman house, named the Panayia
Domus by archaeologists, southeast of
the Asklepieion of Ancient Corinth. [17]

It is thought that the worship of Asklepios
may have survived at Corinth well into
the Christian era, and although the area
around the Asklepieion was used as a
cemetery in the 6th - 7th century AD,
the site of the temple was not.

Corinth Archaeological Museum.
Inv. No. S 1999 008.

Marble statue labelled as "Asclepius of the Anzio Type".

Late 2nd century AD copy of a late Hellenistic creation
inspired by a Greek original of the 4th century BC.

Although the statue is described as depicting Asklepios, an old catalogue of the Naples museum (around 1897) noted that both arms of the figure have been altered by modern restorers, including the addition of a new right forearm, hand and the thunderbolt, the characteristic attribute of Zeus. The join at the right elbow where the modern forearm has been added can be seen in the photo above.

It was later described in the officially sanctioned guide as: "Statue of Zeus with the thunderbolt. The arms are restored. This frequently recurring type is derived from Phidias. Poor execution." [18] The assumed connection with Pheidias is based on the identification of the restored figure as Zeus.

According to the German art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768), four similar statues, also dated to the 2nd century AD, were found together in Anzio (ancient Antium) in 1718, during excavations funded by Cardinal Albani from 1711. Two of the works, made of dark grey bigio morato marble, were formerly in the Albani Collection and are now Capitoline Museums. After their discovery, one was restored as Asklepios with a staff and snake (photo, right), while the other (see photo below), like the statue above, was given a new right forearm and hand with the thunderbolt of Zeus, although it was described in the inventory of the Albani Collection as Aesculapius [19]. The entire straight left arm can be seen, whereas in the other two statues the left arm is bent, with the lower forearm behind the figure's back.

The three statues are almost identical, clearly depicting a god in Classical style, with the same hairstyle, beard, sandals, pose and stance, and with the himation (cloak) draped and folded around the body in the same way. The museums' labelling makes no mention of these alterations, and so far I have found no useful recent literature concerning these statues, but it appears that all three may have depicted Asklepios, but two have been restored as Zeus.

Bigio morato marble statue of "Zeus" (see above) holding a thunderbolt.

Found in Anzio in 1718. 2nd century AD version of an early Hellenistic
original of the 4th century BC. Height 141 cm.

The statue stands on an ancient circular marble base with an
Archaistic relief depicting Hermes, Apollo and Artemis (see Hermes).

It is not clear on what basis the figures in this relief have been identified as Asklepios, Hygieia and Podaleirios (a son of Asklepios), or why the rhyton (drinking horn) must necessarily be "the horn of Amaltheia" (the cornucopia). There appears to be no inscription or any of the usual identifying attributes. Many reliefs of this type discovered around the Greek world have been identified as nekrodeipno scenes (νεκρόδειπνο; named Totenmahlreliefs by German archaeologists), depicting a funerary banquet or symposium in honour of a deceased and possibly heroized person. Some are thought to represent Hades (Plouton) and Persephone. For further information, see the articles and photos in Demeter and Persephone part 2.

Inscribed marble stele with a votive dedication to Apollo and Asklepios.

From Kalamoto (Καλαμωτο; ancient Kalindoia, Καλίνδοια), Thessaloniki prefecture, Macedonia, Greece.
334/333 - 304/303 BC. Height 138 cm,
maximum width 36.5 cm, depth 7 cm.

Dedicated by the priest Agathanor,
son of Agathon. 39 verses have
survived, mentioning the names
of all the priests from 334/333 BC
onwards in chronological order.

Part of a marble block with an inscription in two
columns referring to the sanctuary of Asklepios
at Veria, Macedonia, Greece.

Second half of the 3rd century BC.
Height 75 cm, width 44 cm, depth 13 cm.

A marble head of a statue of Asklepios
wearing the corona tortilis from Amphipolis.

1st - 2nd century AD, Roman period
copy of a 4th century BC original.
Height 22 cm, width 16 cm.

A marble statue of Hygieia (Ὑγιεία),
goddess of health, daughter of
Asklepios. From Amphipolis. Part
of a snake's body can be seen on
her left shoulder.

Roman Imperial period.

Inscribed marble votive relief dedicated
to Asklepios and his daughter Hygieia.

Unknown provenance. Around 350-330 BC.
Height 47 cm, width 26 cm, depth 13 cm.

The first letters of the name Asklepios, ΑΣΚΛΗΠ
(ASKLEP) are inscribed above the figures.

Marble head of a female member of
the family of Asklepios, perhaps his
wife Epione (Ἠπιόνη, Soothing).

From a marble basin for holy water
in the Great Baths, Dion, Macedonia.
2nd century AD.

Marble statuette of Hygieia from Dion, Macedonia. Part of a snake can be
seen on her right shoulder.

1st century AD. Height 45 cm.

Marble statue of Hygieia.

Roman period copy after a Greek original dated 290 BC. Pentelic marble.
Height (including plinth) 142 cm. Found in 1878 in the area of the Auditorium
in the Horti Maecenatis, Esquiline Hill, Rome. [20]

Marble statue of Hygieia
holding a snake.

1st - 2nd century AD. Thasian marble.
Found in 1936 in the Baths of the
Sette Sapienti, Ostia.

A marble statue of Hygieia and Hypnos (Sleep) in Kos. The standing goddess wears a
himation (cloak) wrapped around a long chiton (tunic). She has an elaborate coiffure,
with her hair tied up into a topknot. In her right hand she holds a large snake, which
appears to be feeding from an agg she holds in her left hand. On a rock to her left side
sits the much smaller figure of Hypnos as a naked, winged infant.

200-250 AD. Found in June 1937, along with six other marble statues, including a statue
of Asklepios and Telesphoros (see below), in Room VIII of the "House of the Rape of
Europa" (la Casa considdetta del Ratto di Europa), in the centre of Kos Town, during
excavations 1936-1940 directed by Italian archaeologist Luigi Morricone (see Hermes).

Marble statue of Asklepios and his son Telesphoros. The detail
on the right shows a close-up of the diminuitive daemon.

Excavated in 1906-1907 at the Faustina Baths, Miletus (Balat,
Aydin, Turkey). Height 213 cm; height of Telesphoros 81 cm.

The statue depicts the lofty god Asklepios carrying his symbol of a staff (sometimes shown as a crutch), around which a snake is entwined. A relatively tiny Telesphoros is shown leaning against his father's protective garment, looking up to him, and clutching implements which are probably medical instruments. The implication of this image seems to be that Telesphoros was his father's little helper.

Telesphoros (Τελεσφόρος, "the accomplisher" or "bringer of completion"; Latin, Telesphorus), a son of Asklepios, was worshipped at asklepieions as the helper in recovery from illness. In stark contrast to the powerful images of his father Asklepios and his ancient health-conscious sister Hygieia, Telesphoros is always depicted as a small, sad-looking child or dwarf wearing a hooded cape or conical cap and a short tunic.

This very un-Greek representation of a deity has led to theories that this late-comer to Hellenic religion was of foreign origin, possibly Thracian, Phrygian or Celtic, and that he was originally one of the hooded spirits (genii cuculati), daemons associated with fertility and death. Images of him are also known on the Danube. His worship may have been introduced to the Greek world by the Galatians when they invaded Anatolia in the 3rd century BC. He became associated with Asklepios by the Greeks of Pergamon and other Asklepios centres in Anatolia (Asia Minor).

The spread of his cult westwards to Greece and the Roman Empire was accelerated following his adoption by Epidauros in the 2nd century AD.

The 2nd century AD Greek travel writer Pausanias (Παυσανίας), who may himself have been a doctor, and who spent some time in Pergamon, mentioned Telesphoros in his description of the sanctuary of Asklepios at Titani (Τιτάνη Κορινθίας), in Sikyonia, near Corinth. He tells us that Asklepios' son was known at Titani as Euamerion (Ευαμεριων, Prosperous), and at Epidauros as Akesis (Ακεσις, Cure).

"Alexanor, the son of Makhaon, the son of Asklepios, came to Sikyonia and built the sanctuary of Asklepios at Titane... There are images also of Alexanor and of Euamerion; to the former they give offerings as to a hero after the setting of the sun; to Euamerion, as being a god, they give burnt sacrifices. If my conjecture is correct, the Pergamenes, in accordance with an oracle, call this Euamerion Telesphoros, while the Epidaurians call him Akesis."

Marble statue of Asklepios, now headless, resting on a snake-entwined crutch.
The snake's head rises towards an egg held in the god's right hand. The tiny
figure of Telesphoros stands at his left side.

Mid 2nd century AD. Found in June 1937, along with six other marble statues,
including the statue of Hygieia and Hypnos above, in Room VIII of the "House
of the Rape of Europa" (la Casa considdetta del Ratto di Europa), in Kos Town,
during excavations by Italian archaeologist Luigi Morricone (see Hermes).

Ceramic figurine of Telesphoros,
wearing a long hooded cloak.

From the Yortanli Dam salvage
excavation, Allianoi (see below).

Terracotta figurine of Telesphoros, wearing a long hooded cloak, from Amphipolis, Macedonia, Greece. Roman period. Height 18.1 cm.

Amphipolis Archaeological
Museum. Inv. No. E 612.

Bronze statuette of Telesphoros
from the Ancient Agora, Athens.
3rd century AD.

Priapic ceramic lamp in the form of
Telesphoros, from the Ancient Agora,
Athens. 2nd century AD.

Terracotta figurine of a
male in a hooded cloak,
probably Telesphoros.

From the Necropolis of the
ancient city of Hermione
(near Epidauros),
Peloponnese, Greece.
1st - 2nd century AD.

"Lanternarius", statue of
a boy with a lantern.

Acquired in Rome 1909.

A fragment of an inscribed marble base with an ex-voto dedication
to Asklepios and a relief of Telesphoros, son of Asklepios.

Found at the east of the agora of Thasos (Θάσος), Greece.
2nd - 3rd century AD. Height 29 cm, width 27 cm, depth 10 cm.

The crude image was roughly chiselled on the base of an ex-voto dedication to Asklepios. An ex-voto is the fulfillment of a vow; the person who had it made is keeping their promise to Asklepios for a recovery from illness. Telesphoros is depicted in thanks for his part in the healing process. The poor quality of the workmanship suggests that the donor was anything but wealthy.

Ἀσκληπιῷ
ἐπηκόῳ Θε-
ῷ Αἴλιος Παγ-
κρατίδης

Inscription IG XII, 8, 366.

Larger than lifesize marble statue of a male figure, believed to depict the physician
Hippokrates of Kos (Ἱπποκράτης, circa 460-370 BC), or perhaps another renowned
member of the Asklepiadai (Ἀσκληπιάδαι), doctors and priests of the Asklepios cult.

Last 3rd of the 4th century BC. Found at the Roman Odeion, Kos Town.
Height 196.5 cm. Both feet, the right arm, part of the left arm, nose and
lower lip are missing. The lip and left arm have been restored with plaster.

Part of an unfinished marble
statuette of Asklepios from Thasos.

Probably Roman period.

An unfinished marble statuette of a
seated male figure, probably Asklepios.

From Thasos. 2nd century AD.

Allianoi (Ἀλλιανοί) is - or rather was - 18 kilometres northeast of Bergama (ancient Pergamon), in Izmir province, western Turkey, on the road between Bergama and Ivrindi. The thermal spring is thought to have been founded as a sanctuary of the Asklepios cult and health centre during the Hellenistic period. It was probably a rural sanctuary of the Pergamon kingdom rather than a city, and it appears not to have issued any coins of its own. It was in continuous use from the 3rd century BC until the 11th century AD, and had its heyday during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) when it was rebuilt on a grand scale. During the Ottoman period it was known as Paşa Ilıcası (Thermal Baths of the Pasha).

No epigraphical evidence has been found at the site to confirm its identity as ancient Allianoi. However, in his book Sacred tales (Ιεροί λόγοι, Hieroi logoi) the orator Aelius Aristides of Mysia (Αἴλιος Ἀριστείδης, 117-181 AD) wrote that he received treatment at the thermal spring, 120 stadia (around 22 km) from Pergamon, and that Asklepios appeared to him there in a dream.

The site had hardly been explored by archaeologists when it was announced in 1994 that the area was to be flooded for as part of a dam project in the valley of the Yortanli stream (Yortanlı Deresi) and the Ilya river (İlya Çayı) on which Allianoi stood. Emergency salvage excavations were undertaken, directed by Dr. Ahmet Yaraş, former director of the Bergama Archaeological Museum, with the support of the Turkish Ministry of Culture, the State Water Administration, the Bergama Yortanli Rescue Society, Trakya University and the German Archaeological Institute (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut). Parts of the extensive site were uncovered from centuries of accumulated silt, although it was estimated that only around 20 per cent of the area had been explored in the time available. The finds, some of which are now exhibited in the Bergama Archaeological Museum, include mosaics, sculptures, ceramics, depictions of Asklepios  (see photo above) and Telesphoros (see photo above), coins, metal, bone and glass objects, as well as 348 surgical instruments.

On the right the deceased physician is seated on a klismos, facing left, his feet on a footrest. His head, in higher relief than the rest of the scene, is turned outwards, and two fingers of his raised right hand are extened as if in benediction. In his left hand he holds a scroll. In the centre is a rectangular altar, the front of which is decorated with a relief of a bucranium (βουκράνιον, boukranion, ox skull) and a garland. To the left of the doctor's head is an open box or cabinet with surgical instuments (see close-up below). Rendered in low relief, the simplified forms resemble Egyptian hieroglyphs.

He is approached from the left by three adorants, a veiled woman and two young males, shown smaller than the female. The male on the far left holds the reins of a horse with his right hand and has two spears resting on his left shoulder.

The Romans probably first learned about the cult of Asklepios (Latin, Aesculapius) from contact with the Greek cities of Magna Graecia (southern Italy).

According to legend, following the outbreak of a plague in Rome an embassy was sent to the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Epidauros around 293-291 BC. The representatives returned to Rome with a sacred snake, which escaped from its basket and was discovered on the Insula Tiberina (Tiber Island; Italian, Isola Tiberina; also referred to by ancient Roman authors as Insula Aesculapii and Insula serpentis Epidaurii). It was decided to found a sanctuary of Asklepios there, and a temple was dedicated in 289 BC.

At some point the edges of the island were formed to resemble the hull of a ship, the "Ship of Aesculapius", around 280 metres long and 76 metres wide, sailing along the Tiber (up or down stream?), presumably symbolizing the vessel which brought Asklepios, in the form of a snake, to Rome. The ship's mast was represented by an obelisk, fragments of which are now in Naples. [22]

The island, today 269 metres long and 67 metres wide, has been associated with healing ever since, and the Hospital of the Fatebenefratelli, founded in 1548, still stands on its west side. The church of San Bartolomeo all’Isola, built in the 10th century AD by the German Emperor Otto III, now stands on the site of the temple of Aesculapius on the eastern side of the island.

"It is of good sculpture, and is placed in the wall of the city near the port: it has the fortune still to be held in veneration by the inhabitants of Pola, who mistake him for St. John the Baptist. The part of his sceptre, round which a serpent is twisted, the usual symbol of this divinity, is mistaken by the good people for the reed and the label, with which St. John the Baptist is usually figured; they never pass it without bowing and crossing themselves before it."

James Stuart and Nicholas Revett, The Antiquities of Athens, measured and delineated, Volume IV, Arch of the Sergii at Pola, chapter III, page 17. J. Taylor, London, 1816. At the Internet Archive.

The Ionic temple was commissioned by Marcantonio Borghese, designed by Antonio Asprucci (1723-1808) and built 1784-1790 on an artificial island in the renovated Lake Garden. The Greek inscription on the entablature states "ΑΣΚΛΗΠΙΟΙ ΣΩΤΗΡΙ" (Asklepioi Soteri, To Asklepios Saviour). Originally the plan had been to build simply a facade to frame a colossal statue of Asklepios found in the Mausoleum of Augustus. Ten other restored ancient statues of gods and muses, including Apollo, Artemis, Hygieia, Victoria (Nike) and Mercury (Hermes), extensively reworked and renovated in the workshop of the sculptor Vincenzo Pacetti, were placed on the pediment and attic. Statues of the Nymphs Tungria and Imera by Agostino Penna and Vincenzo Pacetti were placed either side of the temple.

A copy of the Giustini type statue of
Asklepios in the Altes Museum, Berlin
(see above). Made 1848-1859 by the
brothers Alessandro (1816-?) and
Francesco (1800/1804-1870) Sanguinetti.

Exhibited in the Half Rondel, in the gardens
of the Neues Palais, Sanssouci, Potsdam,
Germany.

For further information about the Sanguinetti
brothers, see the note in Demeter part 2.

1. Strabo on Trikka as the birthplace of Asklepios

"The first place after Ephesus is Magnesia, an Aeolian city, and called Magnesia on the Maeander, for it is situated near it; but it is still nearer the Lethaeus, which discharges itself into the Maeander. It has its source in Pactyes, a mountain in the Ephesian district. There is another Lethaeus in Gortyne, a third near Tricca, where Asclepius is said to have been born, and the fourth among the Hesperitae Libyans."

Strabo, Geography, Book 14, Chapter 1, section 39. Translated by H.C. Hamilton and W. Falconer. George Bell & Sons, London, 1903. At Perseus Digital Library.

In the Greek text the river Lethaeus is λήθαιος and Trikka is Τρίκκην. In some translations it is spelled Trikke (Τρίκκη), Tricce or Tricca. The city issued coinage in the 5th and 4th century BC, but almost nothing is known of its history.

2. Strabo on Trikka as the earliest sanctuary of Asklepios

The text of the passage in Greek:

"ἔστι δ᾽ ἡ μὲν Τρίκκη, ὅπου τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦ Ἀσκληπιοῦ τὸ ἀρχαιότατον καὶ ἐπιφανέστατον, ὅμορος τοῖς τε Δόλοψιν καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὴν Πίνδον τόποις."

3. Messenia as the birthplace of Asklepios

Pausanias repeated the Messenians' claim that Asklepios was a son of Arsinoe when discussing paintings of mythological scenes by Omphalion (Ὀμφαλίων), pupil of Nikias, in the temple of Messene the daughter of Triopas in Messene.

"There is Leucippus brother of Aphareus, Hilaeira and Phoebe, and with them Arsinoe. Asclepius too is represented, being according to the Messenian account a son of Arsinoe, also Machaon and Podaleirius, as they also took part in the affair at Troy. These pictures were painted by Omphalion, pupil of Nicias the son of Nicomedes. Some say that he was also a slave in the house of Nicias and his favourite."

Pausanias, Description of Greece Book 4, chapter 31, sections 11-12). At Perseus Digital Library.

A number of ancient authors wrote about the events and characters around the birth of Asklepios, some of them favouring Thessaly, Epidauros or Messinia as his birthplace. In his work The Library (Βιβλιοθήκη, Bibliotheki) Apollodorus (or Pseudo-Apollodorus, 1st century AD, see note in Medusa part 1) appears to have preferred the Messenian tale.

"Besides them Leucippus begat Arsinoe: with her Apollo had intercourse, and she bore Aesculapius. But some affirm that Aesculapius was not a son of Arsinoe, daughter of Leucippus, but that he was a son of Coronis, daughter of Phlegyas in Thessaly. And they say that Apollo loved her and at once consorted with her, but that she, against her father's judgment, preferred and cohabited with Ischys, brother of Caeneus. Apollo cursed the raven that brought the tidings and made him black instead of white, as he had been before; but he killed Coronis. As she was burning, he snatched the babe from the pyre and brought it to Chiron, the centaur, by whom he was brought up and taught the arts of healing and hunting.

And having become a surgeon, and carried the art to a great pitch, he not only prevented some from dying, but even raised up the dead; for he had received from Athena the blood that flowed from the veins of the Gorgon, and while he used the blood that flowed from the veins on the left side for the bane of mankind, he used the blood that flowed from the right side for salvation, and by that means he raised the dead.

I found some who are reported to have been raised by him, to wit, Capaneus and Lycurgus, as Stesichorus says in the Eriphyle; Hippolytus, as the author of the Naupactica reports; Tyndareus, as Panyasis says; Hymenaeus, as the Orphics report; and Glaucus, son of Minos, as Melesagoras relates. But Zeus, fearing that men might acquire the healing art from him and so come to the rescue of each other, smote him with a thunderbolt. Angry on that account, Apollo slew the Cyclopes who had fashioned the thunderbolt for Zeus.

But Zeus would have hurled him to Tartarus; however, at the intercession of Latona he ordered him to serve as a thrall to a man for a year. So he went to Admetus, son of Pheres, at Pherae, and served him as a herdsman, and caused all the cows to drop twins."

4. The Dioskouroi, the sons of Aphareus and Nestor

For further information about Lynkeus and Idas, the sons of Aphareus, see The Dioskouroi.

5. Apollo and Paieon

Since antiquity there have been a number of theories and stories attempting to explain the origin and meaning of the name Paieon, which is also associated with the ancient Greek word for a battle hymn of war cry.

Strabo, citing the 4th century BC historian Ephoros of Cyme (Ἔφορος), recounted the mythical tale in which the Parnassians (or Parnassii), an indigenous tribe living around Mount Parnassos, told Apollo about Python surnamed the Dragon (Πύθωνος Δράκοντα), a cruel man at Delphi. As Apollo shot Python with arrows, the Parnassians cried "Hie Paian" ("ἵε παιάν"). This expression may be derived from ἵε παίε (Hie paie), O strike, or ἵε παῖ (Hie pai), O youth.

"And lower down, when speaking of the Delphians and their origin, he says, that certain persons, called Parnassii, an indigenous tribe, anciently inhabited Parnassus, about which time Apollo, traversing the country, reclaimed men from their savage state, by inducing them to adopt a more civilized mode of life and subsistence; that, setting out from Athens on his way to Delphi, he took the same road along which the Athenians at present conduct the procession of the Pythias; that when he arrived at the Panopeis, he put to death Tityus, who was master of the district, a violent and lawless man; that the Parnassii having joined him informed him of Python, another desperate man, surnamed the Dragon. Whilst he was despatching this man with his arrows, they shouted, Hie Paian; whence has been transmitted the custom of singing the Paean before the onset of a battle; that after the death of the Python the Delphians burnt even his tent, as they still continue to burn a tent in memorial of these events."

6. On a statue of Asklepios by Theocritus

7. The Dotian Plain

8. Amphiaraos

For example, Amphiaraos (Ἀμφιάραος), resembling usual depictions of Asklepios, is shown standing next to Hygieia on a relief with both their names inscribed. Late 4th century BC. Found in the Ancient Agora, Athens. National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Inv. No. 1396.

Pausanias mentioned the myth of the Theban Amphiaraos and his cult centre near Oropos (Ὠρωπόν) on the coast opposite the island of Euboea. Through history the city belonged alternately to Boeotia and Athens. Part of the altar at the sanctuary of Amphiaraos was dedicated to Herakles, Zeus and Apollo Healer (Ἀπόλλωνός ἐστι Παιῶνος, Apollonos esti Paionos; i.e. Apollo as Paieon). Amphiaraos apparently interpreted dreams, perhaps in a way comparable to doctors at sanctuaries of Asklepios, although Pausanias believed that he established a dream oracle.

See: Pausanias, Description of Greece, Book 1, chapter 34. At Perseus Digital Library.

9. Strabo on "Epitaurus" and the "Athenian Tetrapolis"

The passage from Aristotle is otherwise unknown. "Epitauros" (Ἐπίταυρος) may be an error, meant to be Epicaros (Ἐπίκαρος, Epikaros). The "Athenian Tetrapolis" or "Attic Tetrapolis" (Ἀττικῆς τετραπόλεως, the Attic Four-city) was the northern part of Attica containing the four villages Marathon, Probalinthus, Tricorynthus and Oinoe.

10. Epidauros as son of Apollo

"Epidaurus, who gave the land its name, was, the Eleans say, a son of Pelops but, according to Argive opinion and the poem The Great Eoeae *, the father of Epidaurus was Argus, son of Zeus, while the Epidaurians maintain that Epidaurus was the child of Apollo."

Pausanias, Description of Greece, Book 2, chapter 26, section 2. At Perseus Digital Library.

11. Ancient Greek drama at Epidaurus

Tickets for the Athens and Epidaurus Festival can be booked in many places around Greece, naturally in Athens, at the Sanctuary of Asklepios itself, and of course online. Performances at Epidaurus are seldom sold out, but the theatre is often pretty full. Coach trips from Athens can be also booked.

In terms of audience experience, the theatre's location and atmosphere are unbeatable, and the productions are usually top notch. Plays are usually in Greek (ancient Greek), but the arresting dramatic and visual aspects of productions mean that even those who cannot understand the language can enjoy the performances. Shows last 2-3 hours with an intermission. Drinks, food and toilets are available just outside the theatre. Evenings at the site (up in the hills) can get cool even in summer, so taking a jacket or pullover is recommended. You many find sitting for so long on stone less than comfortable, and many people bring their own cushions (inflatable or otherwise), or use that pullover to prevent butt-ache.

12. Two marble reliefs from Epidauros

Following the discovery of the two reliefs it was thought that one may have depicted Asklepios and the other Zeus. Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway suggested that the second relief (Inv. No. 174), which appears to show a younger, unbearded seated figure (the face is missing), may represent Apollo.

13. Asklepios statue in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin

Around half of the Pergamon Museum, including rooms containing Greek and Roman sculptures and artefacts and the hall of the Pergamon Great Altar, are closed for rebuilding work until around 2019. Some of the exhibits have been moved to the Altes Museum.

Since the reunifiaction of Germany the collections of the Berlin museums have been in a constant process of reorganization, and many objects have been moved more than once from one museum to another. Several objects have only been displayed during special temporary exhibitions.

The smaller than lifesize statue statue, 117.5 cm high (124.5 cm with base), was one of three statues of Asklepios brought to Berlin from Italy in the 18th-19th centuries. This was one acquired by the art dealer Giovanni Ludovico Bianconi in 1766 from the Natali Collection in Rome. It arrived in Potsdam in 1767, where it stood in the Marble Gallery of the Neue Palais from around 1769. On 26 March 1830 it was moved to the Rotunda of the Königliche Museum (Royal Museum, today known as the Altes Museum) in Berlin.

It had been extensively restored in in 1767 the workshop of Bartolomeo Cavaceppi in Rome, with many parts added, including the head which is from another ancient statue, perhaps of Zeus. The head is thought to be a Roman copy of a Hellenistic orginal. The body of Parian marble (from the island of Paros), is thought to be a 2nd century AD Antonine copy of a 4th century BC Greek original.

See: Alexander Conze, Beschreibung der antiken Skulpturen mit Ausschluss der pergamenischen Fundstücke, page 36. Generalverwaltung, Königliche Museen zu Berlin. Verlag von W. Spemann, Berlin, 1891. At Heidelberg University Digital Library.

14. The "Venus Landolina" in Syracuse

15. Statues of Asklepios of the Doria Pamphili type

See, for example:

16. Statues of Asklepios from the Athenian Agora

17. Statuettes from the Panayia Domus, Corinth

The domus was destroyed by fire around the late 360s AD. The nine statuettes range in date from the late 1st to the mid 3rd or early 4th century AD. Two are of Asklepios, two of Artemis and the others depict Pan, Herakles (Resting Herakles, Farnese type, with Telephos and deer), Dionysus (with a panther), Europa/Sosandra and Roma.

The other statuette of Asklepios shows him wearing a himation, standing with a snake-entwined staff in his right hand, and a small figure of Telesphoros to his left. Inv. No. S-1999-012A, not on display in the museum. Height with base 20.7 cm, height of figure 18.9 cm.

See: Lea M. Stirling, Pagan statuettes in Late Antique Corinth: Sculpture from the Panayia Domus. Hesperia 77 (2008), pages 89-161. American School of Classical Studies at Athens (ASCSA).

18. The Anzio type Zeus/Asclepius statue in the Naples museum

19. The Anzio type Zeus/Asclepius statues in the Capitoline Museums

20. Marble statue of Hygieia from the Horti Maecenatis

The headless statue body was discovered in 1874 and restored as "Urania" with an unrelated ancient head which had been found in 1872. The figure was also refrerred to as "Polymnia", and the head has been referred to as being a variant of the so-called Sappho type. The body has been variously dated to the Hellenistic or Augustan periods.

21. Ancient medical instruments

22. The "Ship of Aesculapius" on Tiber Island

... The two bridges made an architectural and pictorial group with the Ship of Aesculapius. It is not known when by whom whom the island was turned into this form. As far as we can judge from the fragment of the stern, represented in the the cut [photo] above, the imitation must have been perfect in every detail. The ship, however, did not appear as if it was floating on the river, except in time of flood, because it rested on a platform 2 metres above low-water mark. It was entirely built of travertine, and measured 280 metres between the perpendiculars, with a beam of 76 metres. An obelisk, pieces of which are now preserved in Naples, represented the main-mast.

A fanciful copy of this island exists in the Villa d'Este at Tivoli as a part of the plan, or rather model in full relief, of the city of Rome which Pirro Ligorio added to the curiosities of that delightful place. A stream, derived from the Anio, represents the Tiber, on which the ship appears to be floating, with the obelisk in the place of the mast and the coat-of-arms of Cardinal Ippolito instead of the emblems of the 'merciful God'."

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