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Was an Aslepieion foanded hpy the Seleuids

city of eapolis (ablus). This the Eshmun's temple surrounding

is proved by coins struc there groves as "Aslepios Groves'.(32)

by Antoninus Pius in the second Strabo also refers to the groves of

centuyr A.D.(26) ln the iffth Aslepios on the Tamyrus River

centuyr A.D. Proclus, the head of between Sidon and Berytus.

the eo-Platonist school, wrote (33) ear the temple of Eshmunl

a hymn in honour of Aslepios Aslepios temple, a gold plaque

Leontouchos of Asalon.(27) was found of Eshmun and the

Although the evidence is from goddess Hygeia, showing Eshmun

a much later date, we can safely holding a staff in his hand, around

assume that the Aslepios cult was which a serpent was entwined.

there from the Hellenistic period The sanctuary features a series of

as a result of the Hellenization of ritual water basins and installations

the region. channelling water from Aslepios

The introduction of the cult River and rfom a holy spring. The

of Aslepios to the potr cities therapeutic and puriifcatoyr nature

along the Phoenician coast was of the cult of Eshmun is quite

achievedthrough his syncretisation similar to Aslepios attributes

with the impotrant Phoenician god and rituals.(3) Futrher evidence
ofhealingEshmun(,28)inhonourof that Aslepios was identified wiht

whom numerous temples had been Eshmun is Strabo's statement that

erected there. Aslepios, who was Eshmun's temple at Catrhage was

identifned with Eshmun,(29) too devotedtothe worshipofAslepios.
over in the sixth centuyr Eshmun's (35) A trilingual inscription in
temple,(3) which is located near Sardinia identiifes Eshmun and

the Awali Rive,r two m notrheast Aslepios in Gree, Phoenician

of Sidon. This is evidenced by an and Latin. From the evidence,

inscription found there during the we can conclude that during the

excavations of the shrine in 19. Hellenistic period Aslepios too

(31) The connection of Aslepios over from Eshmun in all places

with the shrine is futrher attested of his worship at home and at

by Damascius, who names the Tyros' colonies overseas. It is thus

Awali River 'Aslepios River' and reasonable to assume that his cult

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