{"id":3789,"date":"2018-06-30T09:41:53","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T09:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=3789"},"modified":"2026-06-20T10:06:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T10:06:48","slug":"cult-of-asclepius","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/medicine-through-time\/medicine-in-ancient-greece\/cult-of-asclepius\/","title":{"rendered":"Cult of Asclepius"},"content":{"rendered":"

Asclepious was the Greek God of healing. Worshippers built large temple complexes around Greece in his name. Throughout the period, and into the era of the Roman Empire, people would visit these temples to be healed. The Cult of Asclepius is remembered to this day through use of the name of his daughters name in everyday language. Her name, Hygeia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Cult of Asclepius<\/h2>\n

The Cult of Asclepius, which developed older ideas based on religious healing and introduced many more forms of ‘alternative’ treatment, was at it’s peak from the Fifth century BC through to as late as 400 AD.<\/p>\n

At a Asclepion (one of the temples) a patient would be expected to partake in a number of rituals, which, it was believed, would cure the infirm. In brief these rituals consisted of:<\/p>\n