The temple columns and architectural remains of the Asclepion on the Greek island of Kos

The columns of the Kos Asclepion temple emerge among the ruins of the sanctuary complex. In the foreground, column fragments and bases attest to the original size of the buildings, while in the background reconstructed columns give an idea of the temple's grandeur. The cypresses dotting the site create an atmosphere of sacredness that must have characterized the place even in antiquity. The Kos Asclepion was active from the 4th century BC until the Byzantine period, when it was abandoned following the spread of Christianity that condemned pagan cults.

Asclepion, Kos, columns, temple, ruins, cypresses, archaeology, Greece