Sanctuarium Apollinis Maleatae
About
Older than the Asklepios cult it eventually shared a hilltop with, this sanctuary of Apollo Maleatas centers on a 6th-century-BCE archaic temple built over Mycenaean cult remains dating back to roughly 1500 BCE. Epidaurus's healers worshipped Apollo here for centuries before Asklepios, his mythological son, took the valley below. Excavated animal-bone deposits show near-continuous ritual use across two millennia. The temple still crowned the ridge above Epidaurus's crowded sanctuary in 117 CE.
What happened here
A sanctuary is a precinct, not a building — an enclosed area with a boundary that matters legally. Inside it, rules apply: certain acts are forbidden, debtors and runaways may claim protection, and in some the birth or death of anyone is not permitted. Pilgrims arrive on foot, sometimes over days, and there is accommodation, water, and a market selling exactly what they need to offer. Priesthoods are local and hereditary or annual and political depending on the place. Treasuries hold the accumulated gifts of centuries, catalogued on stone. Festivals draw crowds from a whole region and bring games, contests and trade with them. Between festivals the place is quiet, staffed by a caretaker and visited by a trickle of travellers.
Sources
Roman Maps shows the empire frozen at 11 August 117 CE, the day Trajan died — its moment of greatest territorial extent. Explore the full map →