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Asclepius (also Asklepios, or Asclepios) was a much-worshiped ancient Greek god of health and well-being, and his sanctuary at Epidaurus was, in extent, the rival of such major cult sites as the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and Apollo at Delphi. Its major temple to the healing god, the Temple of Asclepius at Epidaurus, was built in the early fourth century BCE.
The temple was Doric, six columns by eleven, measuring ca. 80 feet in length. It is preserved in foundations only. Fragments of the upper structure, recovered in excavation, are in the archaeological museum at the site. The gold and ivory cult statue of the god is described by Pausanias (2.27.2). The temple had pedimental sculpture, front and back, and figural acroteria. These, the work of master sculptors of the period, occupy a prominent room in the National Archaeological Museum at Athens.
An inscription excavated near the temple (Inscriptiones Graecae IV, 2nd ed., no. 102) gives a public record of the temple’s construction. The inscription names Theodotus as architect. The project took nearly five years to complete.