Vassilis K. Lambrinoudakis

Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology at the University of Athens. Corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, Paris, and of the Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna. Member of the board of the Society for the Promotion of Education and Learning (Arsakeia-Tositseia Schools) and of the Diazoma association for the restoration of ancient theatres. He has conducted excavations in the Aegean islands of Naxos and Chios, in Epidaurus and Mani, Peloponnese, and in Palaiomanina, Akarnania. His publications cover a wide range of topics about ancient Greece, such as art, architecture, topography, epigraphy, religion and cult, as well as about the theory of archaeology, and management of monuments. Honoured in 2003 by the President of the Hellenic Republic for promoting Greek archaeology worldwide.

LECTURE

“The Cults of Apollo and Asclepius in Epidaurus: Healthcare and Theatre”

Devoted to the gods of medicine, the neighbouring sanctuaries of Apollo Maleatas and Asclepius in Epidaurus constituted the foremost healing centre in ancient Greece. Thanks to their modern-day restoration, the sanctuaries clearly evoke the history of healthcare, from magical practices to purely scientific medicine. Over time, cult rituals evolved into healing practices of both religious and theatrical qualities, as well as practices of entertainment.