Library Notes
June 26, 2004
By Pansy Hundley, Librarian.
I have not been sure how many of you would be very interested in my travels and all the history. But, I’ve had so many good remarks about it, and a lot of interest in it all. You will remember, that is like saying "Sic’em" to a bulldog.
Therefore, you are destined to hear more about many of the sites and scenes and ancient ruins I’ve seen.
We’re in Epidauraus this week, located in the Peloponnese. This is the southern most part of the Balkan peninsular, the largest peninsular in Greece.
Let’s read some history from my Greece book that will explain something of the ancient ruins unearthed at this site.
"Epidaurus, as the best-known sanctuary of the healer-god Asclepius, was one of the most important religious sites of the ancient world. According to the myths, Asclepius was the son of Apollo and Coronis, and he learned the art of medicine from his father and from Cheiron, the wise Centaur. Apollo was initially worshipped at Epidaurus with the epithet "Maleatas", a reflection of the cult of a pre-Dorian deity whose sanctuary predated that of Apollo on the slopes of Mt. Cynortium. At the time of the Dorian invasion, the two gods became identified and were worshipped on the same site. After the mid-sixth century BC, the sanctuary was extended to the south, and occupied the flat site where the Asclepium was later built. At the end of the same century, the cult of Asclepius was introduced from Thessaly, and gradually displaced that of Apollo. Not, of course, that the sanctuary of Apollo Masleatas on Mt. Cynortium ever ceased to function: the ruins of a fourth century temple of Apollo and of other buildings have been excavated there.
Over time, the renown of Asclepius spread throughout the known world and the flow of patients to his sanctuary swelled. At this time, too, the foundations of the science of medicine was being laid, and diagnosis came to be based more on observation of the patient’s symptoms than on the earlier ‘metaphysical’ approach. After sacrifice and purification, the patients would enter the sanctuary and would sleep in a special place – the abaton or encoemeterium – in which the god would reveal to them, in dream, how they could be cured, or even effect the cure himself at that time.
The Asclepium of Epidaurus reached the peak of its fame in the late fifth and early fourth century. Important buildings were constructed at that time, and precious statues and pillars with inscriptions were dedicated to the healer-god. In 86 BC, the sanctuary was looted by Sulla, but in the second century AD new buildings were erected and others repaired with funds donated by a Roman senator called Antoninus.
The Emperor Theodosius suppressed the cult of Asclepius in the fourth century, AD, and severe earthquakes in 522 and 551 laid waste the site.
A few of the most important buildings revealed by archaeological excavation were: The Odeum and temple of Hygeia – The Stadium: built in the earth fifth century, with stone seating dating from the fourth century BC. To the south of the stadium must have been the Hippodrome. The temple of Artemis: dating from around 300 BC, was a Doric prostyle structure with a II-shaped interior colonnade of Corinthian columns. Various other ruins and temples were also unearthed at this site.
On the slopes of Mt. Cynortium is the theatre of Epidaurus, the best preserved ancient theatre in Greece. Its construction was bound up with the process of therapy, and was thus not unconnected with the cult of Asclepius: it was believed that theatrical performances, by entertaining the visitors to the sanctuary, speeded up their cure.
Originally, the theatre had a circular orchestra with the thymele in the centre and twelve wedges of 34 rows of seats, giving a total capacity of about 6,000. In the second century BC, the upper tier, with a further 22 rows of seats, was added, thus providing seating for an audience of 12,300.
The harmonious proportions of the Epidaurus theatre and the beauty of the surrounding landscape combined with the exceptional acoustics of the theatre to create a unique impression. The acoustics are the result of the fact that the orchestra is slightly elliptical and not a perfect circle, with three distinct sound lines. Today, the atmosphere of the theatre can be enjoyed during one of the performances of the ancient drama held every summer as part of the Epidaurus Festival."
The day we were at this theatre, cable was strung in all directions and men were readying for some performance that was coming. They were checking sound, acoustics and getting it all prepared for the event. There were two or three different groups, if I may call two a group, that stood in the front of the theatre and sang. My group, which always looks for an opportunity to sing some gospel songs in many of the settings we have been in, marched right up there and did our part to let them check the sound and all. I cannot remember if we sang "Blessed Assurance" or my Daddy’s favorite, "Amazing Grace", but we did burst forth in song, acapella. So, in addition to singing at the Garden of Gethsemane, beside the Sea of Galilee, and other places, we have now sang in the ancient- open air theatre of Epidaurus. Now, how many people do you know that can say that? Huh?
That is about going to wind up the Greece part of my trip. I look at a map of Greece now, at all of the places that we did NOT see, and I feel bad that we missed so much. But, still, so thankful that I was able to go and see what I did. There are just so many hours in a day. Next week, we should hop a plane and arrive in ROME and we’ll visit Italy for a week.
And now, for a book, and what better to tell you about than one by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg. This lady has been in law enforcement for 14 years and at one time was with the Dallas Police Department. How about that? We have most of her books already and this new one is entitled "Sullivan’s Law".
"Monday mornings are not good. That’s what Carolyn Sullivan is thinking as she arrives at her office at the Ventura County Probation Department. She’s got a paper due for law school. Two high-energy kids who need to be in different places at the same time. A mountain of debt. Her boss is on the warpath before she even has a chance to grab her first cup of coffee. But Carolyn’s day is about to get a lot worse……
One of her probationers has just been arrested for rape. It’s a front-page-headline story that leads squarely back to Carolyn’s paper-strewn desk and overwhelming caseload. Could she have prevented the crime? She fears the top brass, pressured by the media, may destroy her career. Just when Carolyn should be lying low, instead she’s assigned a sensitive case that’s sure to have everyone breathing down her neck – supervising convicted killer and paranoid schizophrenic Daniel Metroix.
Twenty-three yeas ago, the son of the police chief was pushed into the path of an oncoming car, and Metroix went to prison for the boy’s murder. Everything in Metroix’s file indicated that he’s unpredictable and dangerous. But what’s more unsettling is his claim that he’s innocent – a claim that crawls under Carolyn’s skin and stays there, especially when what should be a routine meeting erupts into an inferno that nearly kills both of them. Was it a freak accident? Or something far more sinister?
Someone doesn’t want Carolyn to discover the truth. Someone who knows where she lives, where she goes, who she sees. Someone who will strike at the very heart of every mother’s worst fear in order to silence her for good."