Blood Of Olympus Analysis
Throughout the book Blood of Olympus by the New York Times Bestseller author Rick Riordan, the main characters visited the Sanctuary of Asclepius (Asklepios) to find the god of medicine Askelpios. The Sanctuary of Asklepios which they visited was found in the city-state of Epidaurus. Epidaurus is a city-state in the Naupile Province which is in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese. The polis is located in the Argolides valley and is surrounded by rocky cliffs with little to no vegetation. The city of Epidaurus was around 520,000 square meters. It was inhabited as far back as 3,000 BC and began to flourish in 700 BC. It reached its Golden Age between the fourth and third century BC and in 100 BC, it was sacked. It was rebuilt and revived
during Imperial Rome and in 395 AD it was destroyed again. It was later used again as a Christian healing center. Excavations of Epidaurus were lead by Cavvadias and Papadimitriou who were apart of the Greek Archaeological Society., Excavations began in 1881 and still continue in the present. Epidaurus was named after the son of Apollo, Epidauros and was an important healing center. The city-state began worshiping Asklepios, who was believed to be the son of Apollo. The deity Asklepios was an important part of the culture and religion in Epidaurus. He was the Greek god of medicine and also was believed to have the gift of prophecy. The city-state of Epidaurus was influenced greatly and had a large influence on the Greek Culture, but most evidently through its Labyrinth, the Sanctuary of Asklepios, and the Theatre of Epidaurus.
Under the Thymele (Tholos), which was a temple in Epidaurus, a labyrinth was discovered and was used for sacrifices to the god Asklepios., The labyrinth is made up of seven concentric stone circles with one doorway in each circle. When Asklepios was alive he was worshipped as a hero, and over the years his cult began to worship him as a god. This is helpful in understanding that in the Ancient Greek religion it was possible for a mortal to became a god or goddess later in life. This would have added an extra incentive for the Ancient Greeks to be good or heroic, so that someday they could become a god or goddess themselves. In addition to the discovery of the use of sacrifices in the labyrinth, snakes were also found to have lived in the labyrinth. This is interesting because they were worshipped as healers within Ancient Greece and were associated with healing and still today snakes are still associated with healing. One of the symbols to represent medicine today is a caduceus, a staff with two snakes on it. This continue to highlight the effect of the Greek Culture on the modern world and how closely related snakes and medicine were in Ancient Greece. The information uncovered in the Labyrinth continues to lead to other discoveries about Greek religion and medicine, and understanding the importance of how Ancient Greece has influenced the present day.
during Imperial Rome and in 395 AD it was destroyed again. It was later used again as a Christian healing center. Excavations of Epidaurus were lead by Cavvadias and Papadimitriou who were apart of the Greek Archaeological Society., Excavations began in 1881 and still continue in the present. Epidaurus was named after the son of Apollo, Epidauros and was an important healing center. The city-state began worshiping Asklepios, who was believed to be the son of Apollo. The deity Asklepios was an important part of the culture and religion in Epidaurus. He was the Greek god of medicine and also was believed to have the gift of prophecy. The city-state of Epidaurus was influenced greatly and had a large influence on the Greek Culture, but most evidently through its Labyrinth, the Sanctuary of Asklepios, and the Theatre of Epidaurus.
Under the Thymele (Tholos), which was a temple in Epidaurus, a labyrinth was discovered and was used for sacrifices to the god Asklepios., The labyrinth is made up of seven concentric stone circles with one doorway in each circle. When Asklepios was alive he was worshipped as a hero, and over the years his cult began to worship him as a god. This is helpful in understanding that in the Ancient Greek religion it was possible for a mortal to became a god or goddess later in life. This would have added an extra incentive for the Ancient Greeks to be good or heroic, so that someday they could become a god or goddess themselves. In addition to the discovery of the use of sacrifices in the labyrinth, snakes were also found to have lived in the labyrinth. This is interesting because they were worshipped as healers within Ancient Greece and were associated with healing and still today snakes are still associated with healing. One of the symbols to represent medicine today is a caduceus, a staff with two snakes on it. This continue to highlight the effect of the Greek Culture on the modern world and how closely related snakes and medicine were in Ancient Greece. The information uncovered in the Labyrinth continues to lead to other discoveries about Greek religion and medicine, and understanding the importance of how Ancient Greece has influenced the present day.