The Kos Asklepion. Its Origins Are Traced Back To 400 BC Editorial Image

According to ancient Greek mythology Asclepius was the god of medicine and healing. He was the son of Apollo and Coronis or Arsinoe. It happened that while she was pregnant she was unfaithful to Apollo. He got so angry with her that she was burnt on a pyre. As for his son the father rescued him but sent him to the Earth where later the boy was carried to Chiron who was considered to be a kind centaur. He raised Asclepius and taught him the art of healing.Asclepius became such a great healer that he even learned the art of raising the dead which meant that he reached immortality. The gods got angry and they killed Asclepius. But he returned from the Erebus and became the god of healing.According to legend, Asclepius had three sons who became great healers too. According to one of the legend’s versions, even Hippocrates and Aristotle were his descendants. According to another version, Asclepius was teaching people the art of healing on Kos Island.Asklepion was an institution where healers were curing their patients, trying to systematize medicine and teaching other people the art of healing. It was also the temple of the gods who in one way or another were concerned with medicine.A total number of Asklepions in the world was more than 300. But Asklepion on Kos Island was one of the largest and well-known of all. It dates to around 400 BC.The Kos Asklepion is also the largest of its kind in the world, a site of reference for all Asklepions built in ancient times