Epidavros has Much to See

Of all the theaters we saw on our trips through ancient Greece and Turkey, to me Epidavros was the most stunning. The combination of the symmetry, scale, completeness, condition, and views made it second to none in a place where fantastic ruins are easy to come by. Designed in the 4th century BC, it was constructed and added onto several times. The acoustics of the theater are simply amazing and world renowned. The spoken word by someone on stage is easily intelligible from any place in the audience. The 14,000 seat capacity stadium is still (or should I say, again) in use today.

There is a great museum that houses many of the discovered sculptures and artifacts at the ancient city. There is also an extensive area of ruins to walk around and explore that includes a stadium similar to that in Olympia, public baths, and a gymnasium. Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, the word gymnasium comes from the Greek word “gymnos” which means naked and “gymnazo” means “to train naked.” It was customary to engage in sports in the gymnasium while naked. Try that today and you’ll be answering some pretty tough questions from the authorities…don’t tell them I told you.