The temples and ritual of Asklepios at Epidauros and AthensTwo lectures delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain . ort of pump-room, in which in old times a healing spring arose ; if so, wecan imagine the gouty Athenian being sent here to drink largedraughts from the holy spring, he envying meanwhile Metheand her occupation on the wall before him. The foundationsare curious, consisting of a series of circular walls forming alabyrinth, every part of which must necessarily be traversed bythe explorer seeking the central space, Plate XI. 12 THE TEMPLES AND RITUAL OF MM. Defrasse and Le
The temples and ritual of Asklepios at Epidauros and AthensTwo lectures delivered at the Royal Institution of Great Britain . ort of pump-room, in which in old times a healing spring arose ; if so, wecan imagine the gouty Athenian being sent here to drink largedraughts from the holy spring, he envying meanwhile Metheand her occupation on the wall before him. The foundationsare curious, consisting of a series of circular walls forming alabyrinth, every part of which must necessarily be traversed bythe explorer seeking the central space, Plate XI. 12 THE TEMPLES AND RITUAL OF MM. Defrasse and Lechat think this singularly constructedbasement was a water cistern from which the pump-roomabove was supplied. The difficulties attending this ratherattractive hypothesis are—(<??) that the word Thymele meansa sacrificing place ; (£) Pausanias speaks of the Tholos and ofthe sacred well as though they were entirely distinct places ;(Y) after careful search I can find no trace of a water conduit ;(d) the basement space, I may say confidently, was notcemented, either on wall or floor, as in all probability it would. PLATE XI —Foundation of Thol have been if to hold water. Not improbably the Tholos wasemployed for minor sacrifices, and perhaps the labyrinth belowmay have been associated with some mysterious Asklepian riteof which we are now ignorant ; , the labyrinth may havebeen the home of the sacred serpents. We do not know whatwere the domestic economics of these creatures ; they, in anespecial degree, were the incarnation of the god. They weretreated by the sick with the utmost veneration ; perhaps thiscurious basement structure was their retreat, and conceivably ASKEEIIOS AT E1MDAUROS ANIJ ATHENS 3 the upper stage of the Tholos was employed for the offering ofsacrifices to them as representatives of the god. Perhaps thesacrificial cakes {irovava) were here offered to them. Anaperture in the floor may have been provided allowing thepassage of the serpents from the
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