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The Pergamon Asclepeion was one of the most important healing centers of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. The UNESCO World Heritage site is located in Bergama, Turkey.
History of the Pergamon Asclepeion
The Asclepeion was established in the 4th century BC at a natural spring three kilometers from the Acropolis of Pergamon. It consisted of a number of temples, a treatment center, altars, and fountains.
The importance and prestige of the Asclepeion grew during the Roman period and expanded greatly during the 2nd century. It came to rival the Asclepeia at Epidauros and Kos. The famous doctor Galen (129-216), who was originally from Pergamon and was the personal physician of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, worked there for many years.
After the rise of Christianity, the Asclepeion continued to function as an important medical and healing center. It was rediscovered in 1927 during excavations by German archaeologist Theodor Wiegand (1864-1936).
Visiting the Pergamon Asclepeion
The Asclepeion is open daily from 8:30am to 7pm. Admission is 300₺ (as of September 2023). Audio guides are available. A few Roman ruins as well as the Acropolis are visible from the entrance.
Via Tecta
After entering the site, visitors walk down the Via Tecta, or Sacred Way. It was a road paved with marble that led from the city of Pergamon to the Asclepeion.
The Via Tecta ran for about 820 meters from an arched gate in the lower city. At the gate, a priest doctor would examine patients and determine if they were allowed to enter the Asclepeion. Patients about to die were not accepted. The Asclepeion was a place of healing, not of death. Childbirth was very dangerous at that time, so pregnant women were also forbidden to enter.
The final section of the Via Tecta was colonnaded in the 2nd century during the reign of Hadrian. Patients could by trinkets meant to help during the healing process along this section. Also, on the south side of the colonnade was a heroon, or monumental tomb, dating back to the reign of Augustus.
Propylon
At the western end of the Via Tecta was a monumental propylon. It opened to the courtyard of the Pergamon Asclepeion and a library to the north. The library also served as a center for the Roman imperial cult.
Temple of Zeus Asclepius
Immediately to the south of the propylon is the Temple of Zeus Asclepius. It was built during the reign of Hadrian by Lucius Rufinus, a wealthy citizen of Pergamon. The circular temple was modeled on the Pantheon in Rome. It has an inner diameter of 24 meters and is covered by a dome.
The interior of the temple contained a semicircular niche opposite the entrance. A statue of Zeus Asclepius once stood in this niche. Four more rectangular and two semicircular niches round out the rest of the building. Not much more is known about the interior decoration, but it’s believed the walls and floor were once covered with marble. A replica of the altar of the temple sits in the propylon.
The entrance to the Temple of Zeus Asclepius was via a stairway on the west side. A tunnel sits across from the stairs. It served as a passageway as well as a place to store construction materials.
Treatment Center
South of the Temple of Zeus Asclepius is the two-story treatment center. It was in the shape of a circle and was sometimes called the Temple of Telesphorus. The circular shape allowed patients to walk in a procession as part of their healing process.
Cryptoportico
The treatment center was accessed via a 70-meter long cryptoportico leading from the center of the courtyard. Natural spring water flowed down through an opening in one of the stairs, and frescoes still decorate part of the wall.
Courtyard of the Pergamon Asclepeion
The courtyard of the Pergamon Asclepeion measured about 110 meters by 130 meters. It was surrounded by stoa on three sides and took its present shape in the 2nd century during the reign of Hadrian. The entrance was on the east side through the monumental propylon at the end of the Via Tecta.
The center of the courtyard held an older temple dedicated to Asclepius Soter, two small temples dedicated to Apollo and Hygieia, gardens, three sacred fountains and pools, and patient rooms. There was also the entrance to a cryptoportico leading to the treatment center.
Pools and Fountains
The sacred pools and fountains in the courtyard were meant for the health of the patients at the Pergamon Asclepeion. Patients would bathe in the pools as part of their treatment as well as take doses of water. It was later determined that the water has radioactive properties.
Patient Rooms
Also in the courtyard were the patient rooms. After bathing in the sacred pools, the patients would spend several nights in these rooms waiting for a dream to indicate the necessary treatment. In the morning, they would walk to the treatment center.
Patients were treated with various methods such as sleep, water treatment, hot and cold baths, massages, herbal remedies, mud treatment, cupping, diets, music therapy, surgery, blood letting, and more. They would often stay for weeks, making the Pergamon Asclepeion more of a health spa than a hospital. Ancient Greeks and Romans believed that healing was sacred and both body and mind needing to be healed.
North Stoa
The north stoa of the courtyard is the best preserved of the three stoas and has been partially reconstructed. Behind the northwest corner of the north stoa is the theatre.
Scattered in front of and along the north stoa are several honorific inscriptions. Looking closely, you can find the inscriptions written in both Latin and Greek.
West Stoa
The west stoa of the courtyard has a rectangular exedra decorated with frescoes. On the southwest corner was a banquet hall as well as a luxurious latrine, both built during the Roman period.
A Hellenistic stoa, probably dating to the early 2nd century BC and the reign of Eumenes II, leads further west. Known as the Long Gallery, it was a colonnaded passage that probably led to a gymnasium or more patient rooms.
Theatre of the Pergamon Asclepeion
The theatre at the Pergamon Asclepeion sits on the northwest corner of the archaeological site. It was built during the Roman period by a wealthy citizen of Pergamon. His name couldn’t be determined from the honorary inscriptions found during excavations.
A theatre was deemed necessary for the entertainment of patients at the Pergamon Asclepeion. They would often stay there several weeks to complete their treatment, and the theatre often played a role in the healing process.
Features
The theatre had a seating capacity of 3,500. It was divided into two sections horizontally and five sections vertically. The seats are made of marble and there’s a VIP box in the center of the lower section. Looking closely at the seats, visitors can spot fine craftsmanship at the end of each row and also the initials of some of the workers who built the theatre.
The stage building, which no longer exists, was three stories high. It was the first three-story stage building constructed in Anatolia. The lower front wall of the stage had five niches covered with colored marble. The arches of the niches were decorated with glass mosaics.
