Amanda Daul: Epidaurus

The Theater

The first thought I had when walking into the theater was how absolutely huge it was. My second thought was how on earth could people at the very top of the theater possibly hear anyone on the stage without them shouting. I soon found out that the acoustics of the theater are absolutely phenomenal, and that it was very possible for anyone in any seat to hear someone on the stage talk in a normal or even quite voice. Intrigued by the amazing acoustics, I came back from our excursion and googled the Epidaurus Theater. The rows of limestone seats are what filter out low-frequency sounds, like the crowd murmuring, and amplify and reflect high-frequency sounds from the stage. I was quite impressed by the 4th century BC Athenians and their ability to create, what we would call, such a highly advanced theater. The theater itself is beautiful with its limestone seats fanned out around the stage, its grand entryways of typical Greek architecture, and the wonderful landscape around it. We were lucky enough to enjoy listening to two songs from two different choir groups, showing us the acoustics first hand. Then, of course, we had to try them for ourselves. The other lucky visitors of the Epidaurus Theater that day were able to hear our rendition of Varsity, and watch our sad attempt at making a W on the stage (We tried UW, we tried…). Overall, the theater is an amazing piece of Greek architecture and design. We are lucky it was able to be preserved so well for so many years, allowing visitors like us to enjoy its beauty and its history.

Singing "Varsity" in the theater at Epidaurus

The Asclepeion

The asclepeion at Epidaurus has an amazing story behind it; a mix between religion and the divine, and medicine. The asclepeion was considered a healing center, where people would go to pray and sleep in hopes of finding a cure for their ailment. They would spend their night in a sleeping hall praying to the gods, asking the gods to come to them in a dream and advise them on what they needed to do to once again be in good health. My first thought was obviously, how well did that really work? Apparently, to some extent, it did. People who were healed would write down their story, telling of their ailment and what the gods told them to do to regain their health. Doctors would then read this, and use these treatments in practice on their own patients. I found this site very unique, it gives us a glance into not only Athens Classical “healthcare system”, but it also shows how religion and the gods were intertwined with every part of Athenian life- including their physical and mental healing.

The Asclepion

Sleeping in the "abaton" of the Asclepion