Asklepion is an ancient healing complex located at the foot of the Pergamon Acropolis in Türkiye, built in honor of Asklepios, the god of healing. Asklepion was a term used in ancient Greece to define a type of temple dedicated to the god Asklepios, which served as a center of healing.
The site at Pergamon was founded in the 4th century BC around a sacred spring that still flows. Over the following centuries, it became one of the most famous healing centers in the ancient world, second in importance only to Epidaurus in Greece, and was also the world’s first mental hospital. The influential physician Galen was born in Pergamon and practiced there in the 2nd Century AD, first establishing his medical reputation treating warriors in gladiatorial games of the city.
Many of the treatments used at Pergamon, in addition to the sacred waters which were later discovered to have radioactive properties, have been used for centuries and are still believed to cure all diseases. disability. Its sacred springs were visited by luminaries such as the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius, as well as countless ordinary people seeking cures for physical and spiritual ailments. their god.
According to ancient mythology, the god Asklepios had the power to revive people from the dead and it was he who was restored to life by Zeus: for this reason he was also said to have taken the form of a snake. Tamed snakes were kept in his temples as these reptiles were considered symbols of rebirth as their skin shed and regenerated.
Patients come to the temple for healing using the Sacred Path, which begins their journey to health. An underground passage led there through which patients descended a short distance into the tunnel: small rooms were on either side of the passage and patients would spend the night there. In the morning, they would tell their dreams to the priests/doctors to facilitate diagnosis. The patients then ascend to the circular temple so that they can walk in a never-ending procession; The pillars supporting the dome have a private bath.
Treatments include psychotherapy, massage, herbal remedies, mud therapy and baths, surgery and oral fluids, prescribed according to the dreams the patient has experienced – one believe that dreams recount a visit from the god Asklepios, who holds the key. to cure all diseases.
There was even a theater in Asklepion to entertain patients who often stayed for weeks. All of this is done in the belief that healing is a sacred art and that people’s souls need to be healed as well as their bodies.
Thousands of people still come to Asklepion every year in the hope of being healed. Tradition says that ancient therapies based on both psychological and physical treatments were very successful in restoring health.
