For archaeologists, at least, 2020 was a good year

Excavations carried out in 2020 uncovered all sorts of exciting surprises, despite the challenges of the health crisis, which required stringent safety measures and resulted in fewer hands in the field, especially archaeology students and volunteers from abroad.

Epidaurus

One of the most exciting pieces of archaeological news in 2020 came from excavations around the tholos building at the Sanctuary of Asclepius in Epidaurus in the eastern Peloponnese, which began roughly a year ago with the discovery of an Archaic structure by the team of Vassilis Lambrinoudakis, professor emeritus of classical archaeology.

New finds made in the area point to the existence of a chthonic residence of the god dating back to his earliest presence at Epidaurus. They also indicate that Asclepius' presence in the area dates back much further than believed. The...