Temple of Asclepius, Rome
Coordinates | 41°53′24″N 12°28′44″E / 41.8901°N 12.4788°E |
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The Temple of Asclepius was an ancient
History
It was first built between 293 and 290 BC and was dedicated in 289 BC.[1] According to legend, a plague hit Rome in 293 BC, leading the senate to build a temple to Asclepius, Latinised to 'Esculapius'. After having consulted the Sibylline Books and gained a favourable response, a delegation of Roman elders was sent to Epidaurus in Greece, famous for its sanctuary to Asclepius, to obtain a statue of him to bring back to Rome.
The legend also relates that during the propitiatory rites a large serpent (one of the god's attributes) slithered from the sanctuary and hid in the Roman ship. Certain that this was a sign of the god's favour, the Roman delegation quickly returned home, where the plague was still raging.
In memory of the event, the front of the island was also remodelled to imitate a trireme. An obelisk marked the island's centre, in front of the temple, to resemble a mast, while blocks of travertine were placed along the edges to look like a bow and stern. Several other structures arose on the island to shelter the sick, as evidenced by several surviving votives and inscriptions.
Remains
The temple was destroyed in the medieval period and as early as 1000 the
Little remains of the temple - some fragments of the obelisk are now held in Naples and Munich and some travertine blocks were re-used in modern buildings on the island, including a relief of the
References
- ISBN 9781905131389.
- ISBN 0520204832.
Bibliography
- Giovanni Battista Piranesi. Le antichità Romane. Roma, 1784. Volume 4. Plates XIV-XV.
- Ab Urbe Condita, 10.47.6-7