Asclepion of Pergamon (Asclepion)

Picture a hospital whose treatments included theatre, mud baths, music, fasting and nights asleep in a temple, waiting for a god to visit your dreams. This describes the Asclepion of Pergamon, a sanctuary built on the plain below the city and devoted to Asclepius, who ruled over medicine. People travelled from all over the Roman world to be treated here. Galen, one of its doctors, became the ancient world's most influential physician; his teaching shaped medicine for over a thousand years.

At a glance

Background

There was a sanctuary of Asclepius on this spot from the 4th century BC. Its golden age was the 2nd century AD, as emperors and wealthy patrons paid for a rebuilding in marble. Hadrian is reported to have visited, and the orator Aelius Aristides stayed for years as a patient, writing about his dreams and treatments.

Galen was born in Pergamon in about 129 AD. After training at the Asclepion he treated the city's gladiators, and later became doctor to Roman emperors. Readers across Europe and the Muslim world studied his many works on anatomy and medicine until well into the Renaissance.

The emblem of Asclepius, a snake wound around a staff, still stands for medicine today. A column base at the site bears a carving of it.

Highlights

• Sacred way. The Via Tecta, a road lined with columns, runs from the city side to the sanctuary. Walking along it gives the classic first view.
• Courtyard. A wide square once framed on three sides by colonnades; the temples and library stood at the corners.
• Sacred spring and pools. The water was thought to heal, so patients drank it and bathed in it.
• Tunnel. An underground passage of around 80 metres ends at the Temple of Telesphorus, a round structure and the largest in the sanctuary. Patients may have passed through it while priests whispered down through openings in the roof.
• Theatre. A small restored theatre holding a few thousand people, where performances were part of the treatment.

Why go

The Asclepion lacks the grandeur of the acropolis on the hill above, but it tells a more human story. Treatment here blended faith, psychology and hands-on care such as diet, rest, exercise, bathing, music and drama. Plenty of visitors find it the more touching of the two. The ground is also flat and easy, unlike the steep hilltop.

When to go

Come in the morning or late afternoon, because shade is scarce. Wildflowers grow among the ruins in spring. Most groups see the Asclepion and the acropolis on the same day, and you can start with either one.

Our Pergamon shore excursion from Kusadasi takes cruise passengers to both sites with a private guide; allow eight to nine hours, with prices from US$600. Pergamon is one of the Seven Churches, and our five-day Seven Churches tour stops there, from US$760.

Suggested route

Start on the sacred way, then go into the courtyard and see the sacred spring. Descend into the tunnel and walk its length to the round temple. Climb back to the theatre and rest on the stone seats for a while, then walk back by the north colonnade, where the columns are best preserved.

Getting there

The site is on the west side of Bergama, a short taxi ride from the town centre. The access road runs past a military area: keep to the road and take no photos of the military zone. You can park at the entrance.

Practical advice

• The tunnel walk to the Temple of Telesphorus is cool on a hot day.
• Take water, as facilities on site are few.
• Plan the rest of your day with our acropolis page.
• Statues and other finds from the Asclepion are on display in the Bergama Museum in town.

Frequently Asked Questions