Amphiareus, healing and oracles.

Amphiareus was a Greek mythological hero from Argos, in the Peloponnese. In addition to being a big, tough, strong warrior, he was a prophet. In the story of Seven Against Thebes, he was reluctant to set out to fight Thebes because he knew it would go poorly for the Argives. Polyneices, the Theban who was orchestrating the attack (He wanted to supplant his brother as king - you can read all about his end in Sophocles' Antigone) sneakily bribed Amphiareus' wife with a beautiful necklace so that she would convince her husband to go.

Amphiareus was swallowed by the earth and later re-emerged from a spring in Oropus, a region near Attica and Boeotia (where Thebes is). A cult of healing and prophecy (oracles) sprung up around this spring.

This painting is from a vase in Berlin, Germany - I didn't see it in person but it's too good to pass up. Here, Amphiareus is leaving on his chariot (driven by a servant) and looks back at his wife, who is at the far left holding a large necklace. Obviously, the Greeks didn't have the same conception of women that we have today, but I've been known to give Jana a necklace or two - and she usually lets me have my way . . . or is she only letting me think I'm getting my way . . . ?


The sanctuary of Amphiareus - the temple is on the right (or what's left of it), and to the left in the distance is the large stoa (collonade) where sick people would come to 'incubate.' They would spend the night and wait for a dream in which the hero or a vision would tell them what to do to be healed of their maladies.






The sacred spring where Amphiareus emerged from the earth. Looks a little bit nasty today. After a person was healed, he or she was expected to drop some coins in the water as a thank offering (the coins were then scooped up to be used by the priests for sanctuary maintenance).