Asklepieion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A sanctuary in ancient Greece dedicated to the healing god Asclepius, where the sick sought cures through rest, ritual and dream visions
2. An ancient Greek healing shrine honoring the god of medicine, where patients came for treatment and divine cures
3. A temple complex of ancient Greece devoted to Asclepius, the god of healing, serving as a center for medical worship and recovery

Etymology: An asklepieion was a healing sanctuary in ancient Greece, dedicated to Asklepios, the god of medicine, and the name is built directly from his. Asklepios was the son of Apollo in Greek myth, and his name is generally thought to be of pre-Greek origin, so its ultimate source is uncertain. The "-eion" ending is a standard Greek suffix used to form the names of places dedicated to a god or associated with a person, as in "Heraion" for the sanctuary of Hera. The word is a technical term in classical archaeology and history rather than everyday English, and it is used mainly for the great healing centres such as Epidaurus, where patients slept in incubation halls and hoped to receive a cure in a dream.