city state · Greece and the Aegean

Epidaurus

900 BCE – 146 BCE (approx.) · capital Epidaurus

Argolid city-state whose sanctuary of Asclepius became the most famous healing centre of the Greek world, with its magnificent theatre.

Origins

Epidaurus lay on a small peninsula on the east coast of the Argolid. In the early Iron Age Dorian settlers from Argos made it an independent city; tradition held that Epidaurians in turn settled Aegina. Its sanctuary of Apollo Maleatas inland gradually gave way to the cult of his son Asclepius.

Rule and society

Epidaurus was governed by an oligarchy of 180 citizens. From the late 5th century BCE the Asclepieion attracted sick pilgrims who slept in the sanctuary hoping for healing dreams, and inscriptions record their cures. The 4th century BCE theatre, attributed to Polykleitos the Younger, seats about 13,000. Epidaurus was a loyal member of the Peloponnesian League.

Decline and legacy

Epidaurus joined the Achaean League in 243 BCE and passed under Rome in 146 BCE. Sulla plundered the sanctuary in 87 BCE, but it recovered and flourished in Roman times; its theatre still hosts performances.

Connections (2)

More states of Greece and the Aegean →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Epidaurus. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/epidaurus
MLA
“Epidaurus.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/epidaurus. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Epidaurus.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/epidaurus.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Epidaurus’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/epidaurus (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻