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{{Short description|Ancient Greek god of medicine}}
{{About|the Greek god|the Hermetic text|Asclepius (treatise)|other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Asclepias}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Greek
| name = Asclepius
| image = Asklepios - Epidauros.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Asclepius with his [[Rod of Asclepius|serpent-entwined staff]], [[Archaeological Museum of Epidaurus]]
| god_of = God of medicine, healing, rejuvenation and physicians
| abode = [[Mount Olympus]]
| symbol = [[Rod of Asclepius|Serpent-entwined staff]]
| consort = [[Epione]], [[Aristodeme]], [[Xanthe (mythology)|Xanthe]], [[Hygieia]] (sometimes daughter)
| parents = [[Apollo]] and [[Coronis (lover of Apollo)|Coronis]]
| siblings = [[Apollo#Consorts and children: extended list|half-siblings of Asclepius]]
| children = {{hlist|[[Iaso]]|[[Panacea]]|Hygieia (sometimes wife)|[[Aceso]]|[[Aegle (mythology)|Aegle]]|[[Machaon (physician)|Machaon]]|[[Podalirius]]|[[Telesphorus (mythology)|Telesphoros]]|[[Aratus (mythology)|Aratus]]}}
| mount = 
| festivals = [[Epidauria (festival)|Epidauria]], Asclepia
| roman_equivalent = Vejovis
| etruscan_equivalent = [[Vejovis]]
| equivalent1 = [[Imhotep]]
| equivalent1_type = Egyptian
}}
{{Ancient Greek religion}}

'''Asclepius''' ({{IPAc-en|æ|s|ˈ|k|l|iː|p|i|ə|s}}; {{langx|grc|Ἀσκληπιός}} {{translit|grc|Asklēpiós}} {{IPA|el|asklɛːpiós|}}; {{langx|la|Aesculapius}}) is a hero and god of [[medicine]] in ancient [[Religion in ancient Greece|Greek religion]] and [[Greek mythology|mythology]]. He is the son of [[Apollo]] and [[Coronis (lover of Apollo)|Coronis]], or [[Arsinoe (Greek myth)|Arsinoe]], or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represents the healing aspect of the medical arts; his daughters, the {{translit|grc|Asclepiades}}, are: [[Hygieia]] ("Health, Healthiness"), [[Iaso]] (from ἴασις "healing, recovering, recuperation", the goddess of recuperation from illness), [[Aceso]] (from ἄκεσις "healing", the goddess of the healing process), [[Aegle (mythology)|Aegle]] (the goddess of good health) and [[Panacea]] (the goddess of universal remedy). He has several sons as well. He was associated with the Roman/Etruscan god [[Vediovis]] and the Egyptian [[Imhotep]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N-mTqRTrimgC&q=asclepius%2520imhotep&pg=PA149|title=Handbook of Egyptian Mythology|last=Pinch|first=Geraldine|date=2002-01-01|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781576072424|language=en}}</ref> The [[rod of Asclepius]], a snake-entwined staff similar to the [[caduceus]], remains a symbol of medicine today. Those physicians and attendants who served this god were known as the [[Therapeutae of Asclepius]].

== Etymology ==
The etymology of the name is unknown. In his revised version of [[Hjalmar Frisk|Frisk's]] ''Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch'' (''Greek Etymological Dictionary''), [[Robert S. P. Beekes|R. S. P. Beekes]] gives this summary of the different attempts:

:"H. Grégoire (with R. Goossens and M. Mathieu) in ''Asklépios, Apollon Smintheus et Rudra'' 1949 (Mém. Acad. Roy. de Belgique. Cl. d. lettres. 2. sér. 45), explains the name as "the mole-hero", connecting {{lang|grc|σκάλοψ, ἀσπάλαξ}} '[[Mole (animal)|mole]]' and refers to the resemblance of the [[Tholos (architecture)|Tholos]] in [[Epidaurus|Epidauros]] and the [[Molehill|building of a mole]]. (Thus [[Jaan Puhvel|Puhvel]], ''Comp. Mythol''. 1987, 135.) But the variants of Asklepios and those of the word for "mole" do not agree.

:The name is typical for Pre-Greek words; apart from minor variations ({{lang|grc|β}} for {{lang|grc|π}}, {{lang|grc|αλ(α)}} for {{lang|grc|λα}}) we find {{lang|grc|α/αι}} (a well known variation; [[Edzard Johan Furnée|Fur.]] 335–339) followed by {{lang|grc|-γλαπ-}} or {{lang|grc|-σκλαπ-/-σχλαπ/β-}}, i.e. a [[Voiced velar plosive|voiced velar]] (without {{lang|grc|-σ-}}) or a [[Voiceless velar plosive|voiceless velar]] (or an [[Aspiration (phonetics)|aspirated]] one: we know that there was no distinction between the three in the [[Pre-Greek substrate|substr. language]]) with a {{lang|grc|-σ-}}. I think that the {{lang|grc|-σ-}} renders an original [[affricate]], which (prob. as {{lang|grc|δ}}) was lost before the {{lang|grc|-γ-}} (in Greek the group {{lang|grc|-σγ-}} is rare, and certainly before another consonant).

:[[Oswald Szemerényi|Szemerényi's]] etymology (''[[Journal of Hellenic Studies|JHS]]'' 94, 1974, 155) from [[Hittite language|Hitt.]] ''assula(a)-'' "well-being" and ''piya-'' "give" cannot be correct, as it does not explain the [[Velar plosive|velar]]."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060927153444/http://www.indoeuropean.nl/cgi-bin/startq.cgi?flags=endnnnl&root=leiden&basename=%5Cdata%5Cie%5Cgreek Greek etymology database]  (online source requires login and is located at [http://iedo.brillonline.nl/dictionaries/content/greek/index.html;jsessionid=02B0AB2A20E711C0F132C3A936DBC4E1 iedo.brillonline.nl] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140929010446/http://iedo.brillonline.nl/dictionaries/content/greek/index.html;jsessionid=02B0AB2A20E711C0F132C3A936DBC4E1 |date=29 September 2014 }}). Originally: {{cite web |url=http://www.indoeuropean.nl/cgi-bin/startq.cgi?flags=endnnnl&root=leiden&basename=\data\ie\greek |title=Archived copy |access-date=2009-04-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928002957/http://www.indoeuropean.nl/cgi-bin/startq.cgi?flags=endnnnl&root=leiden&basename=%5Cdata%5Cie%5Cgreek |archive-date=28 September 2007}} Also in: [[Robert S. P. Beekes|R.S.P. Beekes]], ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 151.</ref>

Beekes suggested a [[Pre-Greek]] proto-form ''*(a)-s<sup>y</sup>klap-''.<ref>[[Robert S. P. Beekes|R.S.P. Beekes]], ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. xxv.</ref>

His name may mean "to cut open" from a story about his birth.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Asklepios|url=https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Asklepios.html#:~:text=ASKLEPIOS%20(Asclepius)%20was%20the%20god,)%20princess%20Koronis%20(Coronis).|access-date=25 November 2020|website=Theoi.com}}</ref>

==Epithets==
He shared with Apollo the epithet ''Paean'' ("the Healer").<ref>Mitchell-Boyask, [https://books.google.com/books?id=5zJ2TlqoorEC&pg=PA141 p. 141]</ref> He was called ''Aulonius'', derived from a temple he had in [[Aulon (Messenia)|Aulon]], a valley in [[Messenia (ancient region)|ancient Messenia]].<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'' 4.36.5</ref>

== Mythology ==
=== Birth ===
Asclepius was the son of Apollo and, according to the earliest accounts, a mortal woman named [[Coronis (lover of Apollo)|Koronis]] (Coronis), who was a princess of [[Tricca]] in Thessaly.<ref>''[[Homeric Hymns|Homeric Hymn]] to Asclepius'' (16), [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0013.tlg016.perseus-eng1:16 1–4]; [[Diodorus Siculus]], [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/5D*.html#74.6 5.74.6]</ref><ref name="theoi.com">{{cite web | url=https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Asklepios.html | title=ASCLEPIUS (Asklepios) - Greek God of Medicine & Doctors }}</ref> When she displayed infidelity by sleeping with a mortal named [[Ischys]], Apollo found out with his prophetic powers and killed Ischys. Coronis was killed by [[Artemis]] for being unfaithful to Apollo and was laid out on a funeral pyre to be consumed, but Apollo rescued the child by cutting him from Coronis's womb.<ref>[[Pindar]], ''Pythian Odes'' 3.5</ref>

According to Delphian tradition, Asclepius was born in the temple of Apollo, with [[Lachesis]] acting as a midwife and Apollo relieving the pains of Coronis. Apollo named the child after Coronis's nickname, Aegle.<ref>Isyllus, ''Hymn to Asclepius''</ref>

Phoenician tradition maintains that Asclepius was born of Apollo without any woman involved.<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], 7.23.7</ref>

According to the Roman version, Apollo, having learned about Coronis's betrayal with the mortal Ischys through his raven [[Lycius (son of Clinis)|Lycius]], killed her with his arrows. Before breathing her last breath, she revealed to Apollo that she was pregnant with his child. He repented his actions and unsuccessfully tried to save her. At last, he removed their son safely from her belly before she was consumed by the fire.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' 2.620</ref>

In yet another version, Coronis who was already pregnant with Apollo's child, had to accompany her father to [[Peloponnesos]]. She had kept her pregnancy hidden from her father. In [[Epidaurus]], she bore a son and exposed him on a mountain called ''Tittheion'' (from τίτθη "wet nurse", τιτθεύω "to suckle, breastfeed"). The child was given milk by one of the goats that pastured about the mountain, and was guarded by the watch-dog of the herd. Aresthanas, the owner of goats and the guard dogs found the child. As he came near, he saw lightning that flashed from the child, and thinking of it to be a sign of the divine, he left the child alone. Asclepius was later taken by Apollo.<ref>Pausanias, 2.26.1–7</ref>

According to [[Strabo]] and other traditions, the birthplace of Asclepius is considered to be [[Tricca]] (modern [[Trikala]] city in [[Thessaly]]).<ref name="theoi.com"/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia | last1=Cartwright | first1=Mark | url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Asclepius/ | title=Asclepius | encyclopedia=World History Encyclopedia | date=20 June 2013 }}</ref>

=== Education and adventures ===
[[File:Aesculap 147-.png|upright|thumb|Zeus-like facial features of Asclepius <small>(Melos)</small>]]

Apollo named the rescued baby "Asclepius" and reared him for a while and taught him many things about medicine.<ref>Diodorus Siculus, 5.64.6</ref> However, like his half-brother, [[Aristaeus]], Asclepius had his formal education under the [[centaur]] [[Chiron]] who instructed him in the art of medicine.<ref>Pindar, ''Pythian Ode'' 3.5 ff. (trans. Conway)</ref>

It is said that in return for some kindness rendered by Asclepius, a snake licked Asclepius's ears clean and taught him secret knowledge (to the Greeks snakes were sacred beings of wisdom, healing, and resurrection). Asclepius bore a rod wreathed with a snake, which became associated with healing. Another version states that when Asclepius (or in another myth [[Polyidus]]) was commanded to restore the life of [[Glaucus (son of Minos)|Glaucus]], he was confined in a secret prison. While pondering on what he should do, a snake crept near his staff. Lost in his thoughts, Asclepius unknowingly killed it by hitting it again and again with his staff. Later, another snake came there with an herb in its mouth, and placed it on the head of a dead snake, which soon came back to life. Seeing this, Asclepius used the same herb, which brought Glaucus back.<ref>[[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''[[De astronomia]]'' 2.14</ref> A species of non-venomous pan-Mediterranean serpent, the [[Aesculapian snake|Aesculapian snake (''Zamenis longissimus'')]] is named for the god.

He was originally called Hepius but received his popular name of Asclepius after he cured Ascles, ruler of Epidaurus who suffered an incurable ailment in his eyes.<ref name="Tzetzes">[[John Tzetzes|Tzetzes]], ''Chiliades'' [http://www.theoi.com/Text/TzetzesChiliades10.html#49 10.49, p. 712–714]</ref> Asclepius became so proficient as a healer that he surpassed both Chiron and his father, Apollo. Asclepius was therefore able to evade death and to bring others back to life from the brink of death and beyond. This caused an excessive abundance of human beings, and Zeus resorted to killing him to maintain balance in the numbers of the human population.

At some point, Asclepius was among those who took part in the [[Calydonian Boar]] hunt. Also, he was one of the [[Argonauts]].

[[File:Roman coin Asclepius and Hygieia.jpg|thumb|300px|Roman coin from Odessos showing Asclepius with Hygieia on one side and Gordian III's portrait on the other side (35mm, 28g)]]

===Marriage and family===
Asclepius was married to [[Epione]], with whom he had five daughters: [[Iaso]], [[Panacea]], [[Hygieia]], [[Aceso]], and [[Aegle (mythology)|Aegle]],<ref>Greek Lyric V Anonymous, fr. 939 (Inscription from Erythrai) (trans. Campbell); [[Suda|Suida]], s.v. ''Epione'' (trans. Suda On Line)</ref> and three sons: [[Machaon (physician)|Machaon]], [[Podalirius|Podaleirios]] and [[Telesphorus (mythology)|Telesphoros]]. He also sired a son, [[Aratus (mythology)|Aratus]], with [[Aristodeme]].<ref>[[Homer]], ''[[Iliad]]'' 2.730 ff.; 4.193, 217 ff. & 11.518 ff. (trans. Lattimore); Diodorus Siculus, 4.71.3 (trans. Oldfather); Pausanias, 2.29.1; [[Lycophron]], 1047 ff. (trans. Mair); Suida, s.v. ''Epione'' (trans. Suda On Line)</ref>

=== Death and immortality===
Asclepius once started bringing back to life the dead people like [[Tyndareus]], [[Capaneus]], [[Glaucus (son of Minos)|Glaucus]], [[Hymen (god)|Hymenaeus]], [[Lycurgus (mythology)|Lycurgus]] and others.<ref>[[Stesichorus]], fr. 147 from Sextus Empricicus, ''Against the Professors'')</ref> Others say he brought [[Hippolytus of Athens|Hippolytus]] back from the dead on Artemis's request, and accepted gold for it,<ref>Pindar, ''Pythian Ode'' 3; [[Plato]], ''Republic'' 408b; Philodemus, ''On Piety'' (trans. Campbell, Vol.); Greek Lyric IV; Stesichorus, fr. 147 and [[Cinesias (poet)|Cinesias]], fr. 774)</ref> or maybe he did it for love.<ref>[[Clement of Alexandria]], [https://books.google.com/books?id=D0ovQcQVV9oC&dq=asclepius+loved+Hippolytus&pg=PA45 ''Clementina Homilia'', V, 15].</ref> It is the only mention of Asclepius resurrecting the dead.{{Clarify|reason=This statement contradicts the first sentence. Was this in fact the only mention of him resurrecting the dead, or not?|date=February 2024}} In all other accounts he is said to use his skills simply as a physician.

However, Hades accused Asclepius of stealing his subjects and complained to his brother [[Zeus]] about it.<ref>Diodorus Siculus, 4.71.3</ref> According to others, Zeus was afraid that Asclepius would teach the art of resurrection to other humans as well.<ref>[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], 3.121</ref> Concerning the fate of Asclepius, [[Ovid]] writes that "the youth [Asclepius] blasted by ancestral bolts [of Zeus] soars from earth [rising as the constellation Ophiuchus] and flings his hands coiled with double snakes."<ref>[[Ovid]], ''Fasti 6'', 735–762 (Translation by Boyle, A. J. & Woodard, R. D.)</ref> Later accounts read "The Serpent-Holder. Many astronomers have imagined that he is Aesculapius [Asclepius], whom Jupiter [Zeus], for the sake of Apollo, put among the stars."<ref>Pseudo-Hyginus, ''Astronomica 2.14''</ref> Asclepius was killed by Zeus, and by [[Apollo]]'s request, was subsequently immortalized as a star.<ref>Emma and Ludwig Edelstein, ''Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies'', Volume 1, Page 51</ref><ref>[[Sabine G. MacCormack]] ''Concise Encyclopedia of Greek and Roman Mythology'' p.47</ref><ref>Theony Condos, ''Star Myths of the Greeks and Romans'', p.141</ref><!--Can someone find a sourced information on how Asclepius being a god can fit in here since the intro lists him as one?-->

== Sacred places and practices ==
[[File:Kos museum mos01.JPG|thumb|Asclepius (center) arrives in [[Kos]] and is greeted by [[Hippocrates]] (left) and a citizen (right), [[mosaic]], 2nd–3rd century AD]]

The most ancient and the most prominent [[asclepeion]] (or healing temple) according to the geographer of the 1st century BC, Strabo, was situated in [[Trikala]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Asclepeion of ancient Trikki {{!}} Municipality of Trikala|url=http://trikalacity.gr/en/building/asclepeion-ancient-trikki/|website=Municipality of Trikala|date=14 June 2017 }}</ref> The 1st century AD [[Pool of Bethesda]], described in the [[Gospel of John]], chapter 5, was found by archaeologists in 1964 to be part of an asclepeion.<ref name="OnSiteArchaeologicalPlan">[http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/sbf/escurs/Ger/10quadroBig.jpg An archaeological diagram of the layout – the diagram displayed at the location itself – is visible at this link] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604114333/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/sbf/escurs/Ger/10quadroBig.jpg |date=4 June 2011 }}.</ref><ref name="MurphyOConnor">[[Jerome Murphy-O'Connor]], ''The Holy Land'', (2008), page 29</ref> One of the most famous temples of Asclepius was at [[Epidaurus]] in north-eastern [[Peloponnese]], dated to the fourth century BC.<ref name="Edelstein 1998. p. 243">Edelstein, Ludwig and Emma Edelstein. ''Asclepius: a Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies''. Vol. 2. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1998. p. 243</ref> Another famous asclepeion was built approximately a century later on the island of [[Kos]],<ref name="Edelstein 1998. p. 243" /> where [[Hippocrates]], the legendary "father of medicine", may have begun his career. Other asclepieia were situated in [[Gortys (Arcadia)|Gortys]] (in Arcadia), and [[Pergamum]] in [[Asia (Roman province)|Asia]].

[[File:"Ausschließlich Fundstücke und Objekte von der Akropolis von Athen" werden hier ausgestellt. 17.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Votive relief of Asclepius, Epione and Hygieia. Mid-4th cent. BC, [[Acropolis Museum]], [[Athens]].]]

From the fifth century BC onwards,<ref>Wickkiser, Bronwen. ''Asklepios, Medicine, and the Politics of Healing in Fifth-century Greece: Between Craft and Cult''. Johns Hopkins Press, 2008. p. 106</ref> the cult of Asclepius grew very popular and pilgrims flocked to his healing temples ([[Asclepieion|Asclepieia]]) to be cured of their ills. Ritual purification would be followed by offerings or sacrifices to the god (according to means), and the supplicant would then spend the night in the holiest part of the sanctuary—the abaton (or adyton). Any dreams or visions would be reported to a priest who would prescribe the appropriate therapy by a process of interpretation.<ref name="Sigerist_63ff">{{Harvnb|Sigerist|1987|pp=63ff}}</ref> Some healing temples also used sacred dogs to lick the wounds of sick petitioners.<ref name="farnell">Farnell, Chapter 10, "The Cult of Asklepios" (pp. 234–279)</ref> In honor of Asclepius, a particular type of non-venomous snake was often used in healing rituals, and these snakes—the [[Aesculapian Snake]]s—slithered around freely on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept. These snakes were introduced at the founding of each new temple of Asclepius throughout the classical world.

The original [[Hippocratic Oath]] began with the invocation "I swear by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods ...".<ref name="farnell" />

''[[Epidauria (festival)|Epidauria]]'' (τὰ Ἐπιδαύρια) was a festival at Athens in honour of Asclepius.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0062%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DE%3Aentry+group%3D5%3Aentry%3Depidauria-harpers Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Epidauria]</ref>

[[File:Edward John Poynter (1836-1919) - A Visit to Aesculapius - N01586 - National Gallery.jpg|thumb|''[[A Visit to Aesculapius]]'' by [[Edward Poynter]], 1880]]
Some later religious movements claimed links to Asclepius. In the 2nd century AD [[Alexander of Abonutichus|the controversial miracle-worker Alexander]] claimed that his god [[Glycon]], a snake with a "head of linen"<ref name="tertullian">Lucian, ''Alexander the False Prophet'' (trans A.M. Harmon) (Cambridge: Loeb Classical Library, 1936), Lucian, vol IV. Accessible online at http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/lucian/lucian_alexander.htm</ref> was an incarnation of Asclepius. The Greek language [[rhetorician]] and [[satirist]] [[Lucian]] produced the work [[Alexander the False Prophet]] to denounce the swindler for future generations. He described Alexander as having a character "made up of lying, trickery, perjury, and malice; [it was] facile, audacious, venturesome, diligent in the execution of its schemes, plausible, convincing, masking as good, and wearing an appearance absolutely opposite to its purpose."<ref name="tertullian" /> In Rome, the [[College of Aesculapius and Hygia]] was an association (''[[collegium (ancient Rome)|collegium]]'') that served as a [[burial society]] and [[dining club]] that also participated in the [[Imperial cult (ancient Rome)|Imperial cult]].

The botanical genus ''[[Asclepias]]'' (commonly known as milkweed) is named after him and includes the medicinal plant ''A. tuberosa'' or "Pleurisy root".

Asclepius was depicted on the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] of the Greek 10,000 [[Modern drachma|drachmas]] banknote of 1995–2001.<ref>[http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/default.aspx Bank of Greece] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628221907/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/default.aspx |date=28 June 2015 }}. [http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/Euro/drachma.aspx#tra Drachma Banknotes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711091203/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/Pages/en/Euro/drachma.aspx#tra |date=11 July 2010 }}. [http://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogDocumentEn/banknotes_draxmes_1.pdf 10,000 drachma note (pdf)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611194400/http://www.bankofgreece.gr/BogDocumentEn/banknotes_draxmes_1.pdf |date=11 June 2011 }}&nbsp;– Retrieved 26 July 2010.</ref>

At the city of [[Miletus]], archaeologists discovered a cave under the city's theatre which was associated with Asclepius cult.<ref>[https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/photo-sacred-cave-in-ancient-miletos-awaits-visitors-168323#photo-1 "Sacred Cave" in ancient Miletos awaits visitors]</ref><ref>[https://arkeonews.net/the-ancient-city-of-miletoss-sacred-cave-opened-to-visitors/ The Ancient City of Miletos's "Sacred Cave" Opened to Visitors]</ref>

At [[Hyperteleatum]], [[Hypsi]] and [[Hyettus (Boeotia)|Hyettus]] there were temples of Asclepius.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DH%3Aentry+group%3D7%3Aentry%3Dhyperteleatum-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Hyperteleatum]</ref><ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DH%3Aentry+group%3D7%3Aentry%3Dhypsi-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Hypsi]</ref><ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DH%3Aentry+group%3D7%3Aentry%3Dhyettus-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), Hyettus]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Rod of Asclepius]]
*[[Darrhon]]
*[[1027 Aesculapia]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==

=== Primary sources ===

* [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Apollodorus]], ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0022 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0021 Greek text available from the same website].
* [[Apollonius of Rhodes|Apollonius Rhodius]], ''Argonautica'' translated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853–1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912. [https://topostext.org/work/126 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* Apollonius Rhodius, ''Argonautica''. George W. Mooney. London. Longmans, Green. 1912. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0227 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Diodorus Siculus]], ''The Library of History'' translated by [[Charles Henry Oldfather]]. Twelve volumes. [[Loeb Classical Library]]. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989. Vol. 3. Books 4.59–8. [http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/home.html Online version at Bill Thayer's Web Site]
* Diodorus Siculus, ''Bibliotheca Historica. Vol 1-2''. Immanel Bekker. Ludwig Dindorf. Friedrich Vogel. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1888–1890. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0540 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Gaius Julius Hyginus]], ''Astronomica from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. [https://topostext.org/work/207 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* [[Homer]], [[Iliad|''The Iliad'']] with an English Translation by A.T. Murray, Ph.D. in two volumes. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1924. {{ISBN|978-0674995796|}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0134 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.]
* Homer, ''Homeri Opera'' in five volumes. Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1920. {{ISBN|978-0198145318|}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0133 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library]
* ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica'' with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White. Homeric Hymns. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0138%3Ahymn%3D2 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0137 Greek text available from the same website].
* [[Lycophron]], ''The Alexandra'' translated by Alexander William Mair. Loeb Classical Library Volume 129. London: William Heinemann, 1921. [https://topostext.org/work/128 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* Lycophron, ''Alexandra'' translated by A.W. Mair. London: William Heinemann; New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 1921. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0484 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.]
* [[Cicero|Marcus Tullius Cicero]], ''Nature of the Gods from the Treatises of M.T. Cicero'' translated by Charles Duke Yonge (1812–1891), Bohn edition of 1878. [https://topostext.org/work/137 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* Marcus Tullius Cicero, ''De Natura Deorum.'' O. Plasberg. Leipzig. Teubner. 1917. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2007.01.0037 Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. {{ISBN|0-674-99328-4}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0160 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library]
* Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0159 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Pindar]], ''Odes'' translated by Diane Arnson Svarlien. 1990. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DP. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.]
* Pindar, ''The Odes of Pindar'' including the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0161%3Abook%3DP. Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[Ovid|Publius Ovidius Naso]], ''Fasti'' translated by James G. Frazer. [https://topostext.org/work/143 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* Publius Ovidius Naso, ''Fasti.'' Sir James George Frazer. London; Cambridge, MA. William Heinemann Ltd.; Harvard University Press. 1933. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0547 Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[John Tzetzes|Tzetzes, John]], ''Book of Histories,'' Book IX-X translated by Jonathan Alexander from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826. [http://www.theoi.com/Text/TzetzesChiliades9.html Online version at theoi.com]

=== Secondary sources ===
* Edelstein, Ludwig and Emma Edelstein. ''Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies'', Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Press, 1945.
* von Ehrenheim, Hedvig. ''Greek Incubation Rituals in Classical and Hellenistic Times. Kernos. Supplément, 29.'' Liège:  Presses Universitaires de Liège, 2015.
* Farnell, Lewis Richard. ''Greek Hero Cults and Ideas of Immortality'', (Oxford Clarendon Press,1921).
* Grimal, Pierre, [https://books.google.com/books?id=iOx6de8LUNAC ''The Dictionary of Classical Mythology''], Wiley-Blackwell, 1996, {{ISBN|978-0-631-20102-1}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=iOx6de8LUNAC&q=Asclepius "Asclepius" pp. 62–63]
* Hart, Gerald D. MD. ''Asclepius: The God of Medicine'' (Royal Society of Medicine Press, 2000)
* Kool, S. "The Soother of Evil Pains: Asclepius and Freud." ''Akroterion'' 60, 2015, pp.&nbsp;13–32.
* LiDonnici, Lynn R. ''The Epidaurian Miracle Inscriptions: Text, Translation, and Commentary.'' Atlanta: Scholars, 1995.
* Mitchell-Boyask, Robin, ''Plague and the Athenian Imagination: Drama, History and the Cult of Asclepius'', Cambridge University Press, 2008, {{ISBN|978-0-521-87345-1}}.
* Oberhelman, Steven M. (ed.), ''Dreams, Healing, and Medicine in Greece: From Antiquity to the Present.'' Farnham; Burlington, VT:  Ashgate, 2013.
* Renberg, Gil H. "Public and Private Places of Worship in the Cult of Asclepius at Rome". ''Memoirs of the American Academy in Rome'', 51/52, 2006, pp.&nbsp;87–172.
* Riethmüller, Jürgen W. ''Asklepios : Heiligtümer und Kulte'', Heidelberg, Verlag Archäologie und Geschichte, 2005, {{ISBN|3-935289-30-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Sigerist|first1=Henry E.|title=A History of Medicine Volume 2: Early Greek, Hindu, and Persian Medicine|year=1987|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-505079-0|edition=1st}}
* Wickkiser, Bronwen. ''Asklepios, Medicine, and the Politics of Healing in Fifth-century Greece: Between Craft and Cult''. JHU Press, 2008.

== External links ==
{{wiktionary|Asclepius}}
* [https://iconographic.warburg.sas.ac.uk/category/vpc-taxonomy-351 Warburg Institute Iconographic Database] (images of Aesculapius)

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