Lygourio Λυγουριό | |
---|---|
Settlement | |
Coordinates: 37°36′N23°02′E / 37.600°N 23.033°E | |
Country | Greece |
Administrative region | Peloponnese |
Regional unit | Argolis |
Municipality | Epidaurus |
Municipal unit | Asklipieio |
Population (2021) [1] | |
• Community | 2,500 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Vehicle registration | AP |
Lygourio is a Greek small town located about the middle of Argolis prefecture. It is built at the foot of Arachnaion Mountain at a height of 370 meters, near the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Its population is 2482 inhabitants according to 2011 census. Lygourio is the seat of Epidavros municipality [2] and Asklipieio municipal unit.
The origin of the name Lygourio is unknown and there are only conjectures. [2] According to an opinion, the name Lygourio derives from the corruption of the word Elaiogyrion that means olive factory. [3] In antiquity, in this place there was the ancient city Lessa which was referred by Pausanias. [2] During 4th century B.C. near Lessa was located the sanctuary Asklipieio of Epidaurus. The area was devoted to the deities from prehistoric period but the most important buildings of the sanctuary were built during 4th century B.C. Then the sanctuary was devoted to Asclepius the god of medicine. One of the most famous building is the ancient theatre that is located two Km away from Lygourio. The sanctuary was abandoned after the destructive earthquakes of 522 and 551 A.D. [4] The name Lygourio is mentioned for first time during 14th century and again during 15th century in Venetian document. The village is believed to have changed its place during early 18th century. For this reason, documents of this period mention to another village with name Paleo Ligourio (old Lygourio). [2] Nowadays, Lygourio is the seat of Epidavros municipality. Its economy based in agriculture and tourism. Every summer during Athens-Epidaurus Festival, a lot of tourist visit Lygourio to attend a theatre performance.
Census | Lygourio Settlement | Asklipeio Community |
---|---|---|
1991 | 2,182 | |
2001 | 2,678 | 3,131 |
2011 | 2,482 | 2,849 |
2021 | 2,197 | 2,500 |
The Acropolis of Athens is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece, and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The word Acropolis is from the Greek words ἄκρον and πόλις. The term acropolis is generic and there are many other acropoleis in Greece. During ancient times the Acropolis of Athens was also more properly known as Cecropia, after the legendary serpent-man Cecrops, the supposed first Athenian king.
Asclepius is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters, the "Asclepiades", are: Hygieia, Iaso, Aceso, Aegle and Panacea. He has several sons as well. He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god Vediovis and the Egyptian Imhotep. He shared with Apollo the epithet Paean. The rod of Asclepius, a snake-entwined staff, remains a symbol of medicine today. Those physicians and attendants who served this god were known as the Therapeutae of Asclepius.
Asclepieia were healing temples in ancient Greece, dedicated to Asclepius, the first doctor-demigod in Greek mythology. Asclepius was said to have been such a skilled doctor that he could even raise people from the dead. So stemming from the myth of his great healing powers, pilgrims would flock to temples built in his honor in order to seek spiritual and physical healing.
In ancient Greek religion, Telesphorus was a minor child-god of healing. He was a possible son of Asclepius and frequently accompanied his sister Hygieia. He was depicted as a dwarf whose head was always covered with a cowl hood or cap.
Tourism in Greece has been a key element of the economic activity in the country, and is one of the country's most important sectors. Greece has been a major tourist destination and attraction in Europe since the 1970s for its rich culture and history, which is reflected in large part by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe and the world as well as for its long coastline, many islands, and beaches.
Epidaurus was a small city (polis) in ancient Greece, on the Argolid Peninsula at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros: Palaia Epidavros and Nea Epidavros. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epidaurus, part of the regional unit of Argolis. The seat of the municipality is the town Lygourio. The nearby sanctuary and ancient theatre were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 because of their exemplary architecture and importance in the development and spread of healing sanctuaries and cults across the ancient Greek and Roman worlds.
Olympia, officially Archaia Olympia, is a small town in Elis on the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name. The site was a major Panhellenic religious sanctuary of ancient Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years throughout Classical antiquity, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. They were restored on a global basis in 1894 in honor of the ideal of peaceful international contention for excellence.
Eretria is a town in Euboea, Greece, facing the coast of Attica across the narrow South Euboean Gulf. It was an important Greek polis in the 6th and 5th century BC, mentioned by many famous writers and actively involved in significant historical events.
Dion is a village and municipal unit in the municipality of Dion-Olympos in the Pieria regional unit, Greece. It is located at the foot of Mount Olympus at a distance of 17 km from the capital city of Katerini.
Lentas, Lentas is a coastal village 75 km south of Heraklion, on the south coast of Crete in Greece. It belongs to the community of Miamou within the municipality of Gortyna.
Leontio is a mountain village and a former municipality in the municipality of Erymanthos, Achaea, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Erymanthos, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 71.586 km2. It is situated in the southern foothills of the Panachaiko, 13 km east of Chalandritsa, 22 km southeast of Patras, 20 km southwest of Aigio and 19 km northwest of Kalavryta. Its population in 2021 was 394 for the community and 477 for the municipal unit. The village was renamed after the ancient town of Leontium, the remains of which lie nearby.
Nea Epidavros also written Nea Epidaurus is a village in Argolis regional unit, Greece. It is located in the east of Argolis peninsula, 40 km east of Nafplio. Epidavros is mainly known for First National Assembly that took place in Nea Epidavros in late 1821 and early 1822. The village is part of Epidavros municipality.
The Sanctuary of Asclepius was a sanctuary in Epidaurus dedicated to Asclepius. Especially in the Classical and Hellenistic periods, it was the main holy site of Asclepius. The sanctuary at Epidaurus was the rival of such major cult sites as the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and Apollo at Delphi. The temple was built in the early 4th century BC. If still in use by the 4th century AD, the temple would have been closed during the persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire, when the Christian Emperors issued edicts prohibiting non-Christian worship. In 1988, the temple was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of its exceptional architecture and its importance in the development and spread of healing sanctuaries (asclepeion) throughout Classical Antiquity.
Palaia Epidavros or Palaia Epidauros is a small town in the Argolis prefecture of the Peloponnese. Today also called Archaia Epidauros, it is built in the same place where the ancient city of Epidauros was located, on top of and surrounding a small peninsula between two bays, on the coast of the Saronic gulf. It is situated 34 km to the East of Nafplio and 60 km to the South of Korinthos.
The Temple of Asclepius was an ancient Roman temple to Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, on the Isola Tiberina in Rome.
The Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is a theatre in the Greek city of Epidaurus, located on the southeast end of the sanctuary dedicated to the ancient Greek God of medicine, Asclepius. It is built on the west side of Cynortion Mountain, near modern Lygourio, and belongs to the Epidaurus Municipality. Constructed in late 4th century BC, it is considered to be the most perfect ancient Greek theatre with regard to acoustics and aesthetics. Because of its exceptional architecture and aesthetics, the theatre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 along with the Temple of Asclepius.
The Asclepieion of Athens was the sanctuary built in honour of the gods Asclepius and Hygieia, located west of the Theatre of Dionysos and east of the Pelargikon wall on the southern escarpment of the Acropolis hill. It was one of several asklepieia in the ancient Greek world that served as rudimentary hospitals. It was founded in the year 419–18 BCE during the Peloponnesian War, perhaps as a direct result of the plague, by Telemachos Acharneas. His foundation is inscribed in the Telemachos Monument, a double-sided, marble column which is topped by reliefs depicting the arrival of the god in Athens from Epidaurus and his reception by Telemachos. The sanctuary complex consisted of the temple and the altar of the god as well as two galleries, the Doric stoa which served as a katagogion for overnight patients in the Asklepieion and their miraculous healing by the god, and the Ionic Stoa that served as a dining hall and lodging for the priests of Asclepius and their visitors.
The Epidaurus Festival, also known as the Epidávria, is an ancient theatre festival held every year during the summer months in the ancient theatre of Epidaurus, on the archaeological site of the Asclepion. It is organised as part of the Athens-Epidaurus Festival. It includes performances of tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, as well as surviving comedies by Aristophanes. Some performances consist simply of revivals of ancient myths or contemporary plays written on the basis of ancient dramas.
Vryokastro is an archaeological site in Kythnos, Greece. It is considered as the ancient capital of the island. It was inhabited from the 12th century BC until the Early Middle Ages. It was called Kythnos in the ancient times and the island was named after it. It is also referred to as Ovriokastro and Rigokastro.
The Theatre of Palaia Epidavros, also known as the Small Theatre of Epidauros, is an ancient Greek theatre, located on the slope of the acropolis of the ancient city of Epidaurus, Greece, near the present-day village of Palaia Epidavros.