Temple Garden, Sanctuary of Asklepios

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dates

fifth century BCE to mid-first century BCE

Excavation Dates

unspecified

Garden Description

Inscriptions of the fifth and fourth centuries BCE record certain regulations for the maintenance of a sacred grove belonging to Asklepios on the island of Kos. Cypress trees are specifically mentioned, and it was unlawful to cut them down or remove wood from the sanctuary. In the mid-first century BCE, however, a Roman prefect by the name of Turullius felled trees in the sanctuary to acquire timber for building ships. Caesar had him executed for this offence (Cassius Dio 51.8.3; Valerius Maximus 1.1.19).

Bibliography

Herzog, R. 1928. Heilige Gesetze von Kos, Berlin, pp. 32-33. (worldcat)

Keywords

sacred groves (AAT:300251876)
sanctuary centers (religious centers) (AAT:300391482)
inscriptions (AAT:300028702)
Athenaeus
Pliny the Elder
Cicero
Aristotle
Plutarch
quadriportici (AAT:300004101)
palaestrae (AAT:300007301)
gymnasiums (physical education buildings) (AAT:300007297)

Places

Grove of Asklepios at Kos (Pleiades:814448537)