Dreams and treatment with Asklepios cult

In the early periods of ancient Greek civilization, medical practices are generally seen to be based on religious grounds. The ancient people, who probably don't have scientific knowledge of health and disease have linked the reason of illnesses that can't be explained except the one can be explained, with supernatural powers. The vout majority ancient Greek people believe in the healing power of Asklepios, the god of healing, and there are hundreds of temples built in this period in the name of healing god. In this asklepieion that we can call the pioneers of today's health institutions, the treatment applied to the ill people carries supernatural features. The most important feature of treatment is that the patient is admitted to dream sleep and dream treatment is only a sign of strong community. The most famous temples, which where founded in the name of god Asklepios, of the ancient Hellenistic world, which were the most favourite treatment centre from V. century B.C till II. century A.D, are Epidauros, Atina, Bergama, Kos, Delphi, Trikka Asklepieion. From the beginning of VI century B.C, in Greek medicine, it has been observed that the importance of experiment and observation has begun to be emphasized, and this process seams to be related to the philosophical movements of that period. In Asklepieion, the treatment methods applied to the sick people, who communicate holy powers and their assistant priests, one based on the dreams that the patient will see. The purpose of this thesis is to research inventigate and evaluate the treatment methods applied in the continuing temple medicine along with Asklepios kult, which is formed by dream the first example of physical treatment. The sources which were written for a scientific synthesis in temple medicine time and composed about that time in late periods, were reached and at same time presentations left by the treated patients were analyzed.