Epidaurus (Greek:Ἐπίδαυρος,Latin:Epidaurum) orEpidauros was an ancientGreek colony founded sometime in the 6th century BC[1] and renamed toEpidaurum/ˌɛpɪˈdɔːrəm/ during Roman rule in 228 BC, when it was part of the province ofIllyricum and later ofDalmatia.[2] It is located at present-dayCavtat[2] inCroatia, 15 km (9 mi) south ofDubrovnik.
During the civil war betweenJulius Caesar andPompey the city was besieged by M. Octavius but saved by the arrival of the consulPublius Vatinius.
Pliny the Elder mentions Epidaurum in section 3.26.1 ofNatural History while describing Dalmatian cities and settlements, "The colony of Epidaurum is distant from the river Naron 100 miles."[3]
According to theLife of Hilarion, a hagiography, theeponymous Gazan saint saved the town from the waves of the tsunami caused by the365 Crete earthquake by raising his hands in the sign of the cross. However, it remains uncertain whether the tsunami actually affected theAdriatic Sea.[4]
The city was destroyed byAvars andSlavic invaders in the 7th century.[5] Refugees from Epidaurus fled to the nearby island Laas or Laus (meaning "stone" in Greek),[6] from whichRagusa (throughrhotacism) was founded, which over time evolved intoDubrovnik.[7]
Several Roman inscriptions are found amongst its ruins: thesepulchre of P. Cornelius Dolabella, who was the consul underAugustus and governor ofIllyricum, and the remains of anaqueduct.[8]
In the Middle Ages, the town ofCavtat (Ragusa Vecchia) was established in the same area.
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42°34′56″N18°13′03″E / 42.5822°N 18.2175°E /42.5822; 18.2175
