ABSTRACT
The greatest healing sanctuary of mainland Greece is at, or rather a few miles outside, Epidaurus. There was an ancient cult of Apollo, and a sanctuary and altar to Apollo Maleatas from the seventh century bc have been found on the hill above the theatre, with a Mycenaean altar underlying. The courtyard of the healing sanctuary may have been used for some kind of cult-drama. In the Roman period this was formalized, and a theatre built in the court. In Athens the sanctuary of Asclepius lies under the south face of the Acropolis. The god, as the peoples know from other sources, was brought to Athens because of the plague of 430–427 bc, but he was not given a precinct of his own until 418 bc when the sanctuary was dedicated by Telemachus of Acharnae. The sanctuaries as constructed incorporated a temple and altar, and also a stoa for the practice of encoemesis or incubation, the dream cure.
