Archaeological Site of Amphiaraion

About the museum

On the bank of the river Charadros, within a dense pine forest, lies the sanctuary of the healing hero Amphiaraos. The place recalls the myth according to which Zeus opened a chasm in the earth with his thunderbolt to save Amphiaraos, when he was fleeing defeated from the campaign of the Seven against Thebes. The sanctuary was founded in the 5th century BC with open-air altars. In the 4th century BC the hexastyle Doric temple and the great altar were built near them, while near the temple lie the sacred spring and the baths.

An important building was the great stoa, 110 metres long, where visitors and patients stayed. There the “incubation” took place: those who sought refuge with Amphiaraos slept inside the stoa and in their sleep received the god’s advice or even healing. Along the stoa survive the bases of statues of priests and dedicators, as the inscriptions carved on them show.

There were also other stoas and baths in the sanctuary, as well as a theatre, whose scaena building with the restored colonnade of the proskenion dates to the 2nd century BC and whose five marble thrones around the orchestra date to the 1st century BC. On the opposite bank of the Charadros stretched the settlement, with dwellings, shops and hotels for the numerous visitors who sought healing or an oracle; impressive is the clepsydra, a hydraulic clock. A new impetus to the sanctuary was given by the Roman dictator Sulla in the 1st century BC.

Highlights

• Hexastyle Doric temple of the 4th century BC and the great altar
• The great stoa, 110 metres long, where incubation took place
• The theatre with the restored colonnade of the proskenion and five marble thrones
• The clepsydra, an ancient hydraulic clock
• The sacred spring and the baths in the pine forest

Operated by

Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού – Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Ανατολικής Αττικής

Admission & discounts

Free admission: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March.

Admission is free for visitors up to 25 years of age from member states of the European Union.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There are toilet facilities for people with disabilities.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

By car, the site is about 50 minutes from the centre of Athens.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

On site there are a shop with books and guides, toilets and a car park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.