Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Figure 123

Column in the courtyard of the Asclepion
Column in the courtyard of the entrance (propylon) of the Asclepion (hospital), from the lower site of Pergamum, decorated with snakes. Snakes were worshipped in the cult of Asclepius, the god of healing. The way serpents shed their skins to renew themselves became a symbol of new life. John stated that Satan lived in Pergamum, and some believe that this is one of the local references. The symbol of the intertwined snakes still decorates medical emblems today.

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