The cult of telesphoros in Anatolia in the light of archaeological materials

It is known that in ancient Anatolia people were in various searches for health and healing and the beliefs they formed as a solution to these searches. At the beginning of these beliefs is the cult of Asclepius, the god of health. The cult of Telesphoros, which was worshipped together with this cult, emerged in the late Hellenistic and Roman periods and was worshipped together with the cult of Asclepius. In Anatolia, the cult of Telesphoros was worshipped in a number of health-related rituals under the leadership of the ancient city of Pergamon. In ancient Anatolia, various archaeological materials such as coins, terracotta figurines, statues and statue reliefs, and epigraphic finds belonging to the cult of Telesphoros have been identified in Mysia, Lydia, Phrygia, Ionia and Cilicia. The aim of this paper is to determine the existence and spread of the cult in Anatolia on the basis of these materials. Keywords: Telesphoros, Asclepios, Health Cult in Anatolia, Pergamon, Hygieia