Asklepion of Kos Island

One of the most famous historical sites of the island is located in a dense cypress grove, about 4 km from the capital of Kos. It is the Asclepion healing complex, where in ancient times people came for healing from various diseases. The ruins of Asklepion were found in 1901 by a group of archaeologists led by a German scientist. At that time the island of Kos was occupied by the Turks and therefore some valuable finds were sent to Constantinople. The Asclepion complex consists of three parts that are well-preserved and connected by a marble staircase. In the lower part were placed wards for the sick. In the second part there were temples and buildings where priests (doctors) lived. In the upper part of the complex there was a big temple Asklepion and chambers for representatives of elite. Treatments of the sick in Asklepion were unusual, the sick had to take inside or put on his body the blood of an animal. Bloodletting was prescribed or other methods of treatment such as visiting theaters, listening to sacred songs or riding horses were recommended. Water cures were actively practiced in those times, and one of the springs with red water is well-preserved. The priests made tables with descriptions of diseases and methods of their treatment. One of Asklepion's disciples was Hippocrates, who revolutionized ancient medicine. He was the first priest (physician) to intelligently use methods of diagnosing and treating diseases. He created a classification of diseases and taught it to others, to this day in medicine use his oath and the main principle of which was “do no harm”. Asklepion was built after the death of the father of modern medicine.