👨👩👧 Is It Worth Visiting with Children?
Absolutely.
The Garden of Hippocrates is one of the few places on Kos where history is about much more than looking at ancient ruins. Here, children can step inside an ancient Greek house, sit in a small theatre, explore a fragrant herb garden, and discover what life was like for children their own age more than 2,000 years ago.
It is a place that encourages curiosity and shared discovery. Why was the toilet located outside the house? How were illnesses treated? What were the fragrant herbs used for? Why did the ancient Greeks build theatres? Thanks to the carefully reconstructed buildings, these questions are much easier to answer than at a traditional archaeological site.
Another highlight is the programme of workshops, performances, and educational events, where children can discover the world of Ancient Greece through hands-on activities, music, and play.
If you're travelling with the Young Explorer's Guide to Kos, the Garden of Hippocrates is sure to become one of the island's most memorable attractions. Many of the site's highlights are featured in the guide, along with puzzles and activities that encourage children to observe their surroundings closely and uncover history for themselves.
👀 Don't Miss
⚡ The statue of Zeus welcoming visitors at the entrance to the ancient house.
🌿 The fragrant herb garden, filled with many of the plants already used by Hippocrates.
😴 The Abaton, where patients once awaited healing through their dreams.
🎭 The small theatre, which still hosts performances and workshops today.
🏺 The mosaic, a replica of a famous discovery from Eretria, offering a glimpse into the homes of wealthy ancient Greeks.
☀️ The Temple of Apollo
Apollo was one of the most important gods of Ancient Greece. He was the god of light, music, the arts, archery, and healing. It is therefore no surprise that his cult was closely connected with medicine and the teachings of Hippocrates.
At the Garden of Hippocrates, you'll find a symbolic reconstruction of a temple dedicated to Apollo. It is not an exact replica of an ancient sanctuary, but rather a place that reflects the important role temples played in the lives of the ancient Greeks.
Five columns standing on a circular stone platform evoke the classical architecture of Greek temples. It is a peaceful spot where visitors can pause for a moment and imagine a world in which religion, philosophy, and medicine were deeply intertwined.
Apollo was also the father of Asclepius, the god of medicine. According to Greek mythology, it was Apollo who first taught Asclepius the art of healing, knowledge that his son later developed, becoming the most celebrated healer of the ancient world.
☀️ Did You Know?
Although Apollo is best known today as the god of the sun, the ancient Greeks also worshipped him as the patron of music, poetry, prophecy, and healing. It was from his sanctuary at Delphi that the most famous oracles of the ancient world delivered their prophecies.
☀️ Did You Know?
It is no coincidence that the Garden of Hippocrates includes a place dedicated to Apollo. According to Greek mythology, he was the father of Asclepius, the god of medicine, whose cult flourished on the island of Kos.
🌾 The Temple of Demeter
To the ancient Greeks, Demeter was far more than the goddess of the harvest. Their prosperity, abundant crops, and the success of every farming season were believed to depend on her favor. It is no surprise, then, that she was one of the most revered deities of the ancient Greek world.
At the Garden of Hippocrates, her name is given to a small museum dedicated to the everyday lives of the island's inhabitants. Here, you'll find agricultural tools and artifacts discovered during excavations within the garden and at nearby archaeological sites.
The exhibition is a reminder that ancient Kos was, above all, an agricultural island. Its people cultivated grain, vineyards, and olive groves, raised livestock, and lived according to the rhythm of the seasons and the harvest.
Although the museum is modest in size, it offers a different perspective on Ancient Greece—not through magnificent temples or legendary heroes, but through the lives of ordinary people whose daily work sustained entire families.
🌾 Did You Know?
According to Greek mythology, it was Demeter who taught humanity how to cultivate the land and grow grain. That is why almost every Greek family prayed for her blessing before the harvest began.
😴 Healing Through Dreams? The Mystery of the Abaton
Today, it may sound like a legend, but for the ancient Greeks, it was one of the healing methods practiced in the sanctuaries of Asclepius.
People came to the sanctuary hoping that, while they slept, they would receive a dream revealing the path to recovery.
At the Garden of Hippocrates, you can see a reconstruction of the Abaton (also known as the Enkoimeterion)—a long, colonnaded hall where patients spent the night, awaiting a healing dream.
💧 Purification Came First
The journey to the Abaton did not begin by simply lying down to sleep.
First, the patient underwent a ritual of purification. They washed in water from a sacred spring, made offerings, and prepared themselves spiritually for an encounter with the god of medicine.
Only then were they allowed to enter the sacred part of the sanctuary.
🌙 A Dream That Held the Answer
During the night, patients believed that Asclepius, the god of medicine, would visit them in their dreams. He did not always heal them immediately. More often, he offered guidance for their treatment or revealed symbolic visions that needed to be interpreted.
The following day, the priests would speak with the patient and help interpret the dream. Based on this, they recommended further treatment, a suitable diet, physical exercise, or the use of medicinal herbs.
⚕️ Medicine and Faith
Today, this approach may seem unusual, but in the ancient world there was no contradiction between religion and medicine.
It was Hippocrates and his students who gradually moved away from the belief that every illness was a punishment from the gods. Observation, experience, and medical knowledge began to play an increasingly important role.
The reconstructed Abaton at the Garden of Hippocrates therefore represents more than an ancient healing practice. It illustrates a turning point in the history of medicine—the transition from faith in miraculous cures to a medical tradition based on reason, observation, and experience.
⚕️ The Hippocrates Knowledge Centre
This is one of those places where it's easy to forget that you're inside a reconstructed ancient settlement. The exhibition presents information about Hippocrates, his students, and the birth of medicine based on observation and experience.
Inside, you'll find replicas of the instruments used by physicians more than two thousand years ago. You can see the tools employed for simple medical procedures and learn about the treatments used at a time when illnesses were no longer explained as the anger of the gods, but were instead studied in an effort to understand their true causes.
It was Hippocrates who brought order to the practice of medicine by emphasizing the importance of observing the patient, making an accurate diagnosis, and choosing the appropriate treatment. This represented a true revolution in the ancient world of medicine.
The building also features displays dedicated to Greek history, mythology, and philosophy, helping visitors better understand the world in which the most famous physician of antiquity lived.
👀 Don't Miss
One of the most fascinating features is the floor mosaic, a faithful replica of a decoration discovered in ancient Eretria. Mosaics like this once adorned the homes of Greece's wealthiest citizens and were a symbol of their high social status.
📚 Want to Learn More About Hippocrates?
The Knowledge Centre presents the highlights of Hippocrates' life and achievements. If you'd like to explore the man who transformed the history of medicine in greater depth, be sure to read our articles about Hippocrates and his medical school.
🎭 The Small Theatre
Although the theatre in the Garden of Hippocrates can accommodate only about 80 spectators, it beautifully illustrates the important role that theatrical performances played in the lives of the ancient Greeks.
The size of a theatre depended on the population of the settlement it served. In larger cities such as Epidaurus and Kos, impressive theatres were built to seat thousands of spectators. Smaller communities, however, needed only intimate venues like the one reconstructed in the Garden of Hippocrates.
The theatre was far more than a place of entertainment. It hosted tragedies and comedies, religious festivals, and ceremonies dedicated to the gods. Performances were meant to educate, inspire reflection, and reinforce the values shared by the community.
Today, this small amphitheatre, known as the Dance of the Satyr, is still full of life. It hosts theatrical performances, concerts, workshops, and events celebrating the history and culture of Ancient Greece. Many of these activities are designed especially for children, who can discover the ancient world through play, music, and dance.
🎭 Did You Know?
In Ancient Greece, the theatre was much more than a stage for performances. For many people, it was an important part of education and personal development. It was here that audiences learned about courage, responsibility, pride, and justice—the timeless values explored in Greek tragedy.
🌿 Hippocrates' Herb Garden
The scent of lavender, oregano, mint, and rosemary fills the air long before you reach the flower beds. It is here that you'll most easily understand why Hippocrates placed such great importance on nature.
The famous physician believed that the body should be supported before illness appeared. He encouraged healthy eating, regular physical activity, and the use of medicinal plants whose healing properties had been known for generations. He is often credited with the famous words:
"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."
As you wander through the garden, you'll discover many plants that were used both in the kitchen and in ancient medicine. Among them are rosemary, mint, basil, oregano, thyme, sage, lavender, bay laurel, St. John's wort, and heather.
Today, most of these plants are valued as culinary herbs or ornamental species. More than two thousand years ago, however, they formed the basis of many remedies used by physicians and herbalists.
Before leaving, be sure to visit the small shop, where you can buy dried herbs, natural spices, and products prepared according to traditional local recipes.
🌳 More Than Just Herbs
The Garden of Hippocrates is also a place dedicated to environmental awareness. Together with children and young people, more than five thousand trees have been planted here, creating a green landscape filled with cypress trees, pomegranates, apple trees, peach trees, and date palms.
It is a beautiful reflection of Hippocrates' philosophy that human health is inseparable from the natural world.
🌱 Did You Know?
Hippocrates never separated medicine from nature. To him, good health depended not only on medical knowledge, but also on a balanced diet, fresh air, physical activity, and the plants growing around us. A walk through the garden shows just how remarkably modern his approach to health was—and how relevant many of his ideas remain today.
🏠 The Ancient Greek House
The largest building in the Garden of Hippocrates is a replica of a Greek house from the 5th century BC. Based on archaeological research, it offers a glimpse into what everyday life on Kos may have looked like during the time of Hippocrates.
Visitors are welcomed by a statue of Zeus Xenios, the protector of homes, guests, and travelers. To the ancient Greeks, hospitality was a sacred duty, and the presence of the king of the gods serves as a reminder of the values that have shaped Greek culture for centuries.
As you step inside, it quickly becomes clear that family life revolved around the household hearth. This was where meals were prepared, the home was kept warm, and family members gathered in the evenings to talk and pray together.
Although the house is a reconstruction, it reveals many fascinating details that may surprise modern visitors. The bath is equipped with a stone bathtub featuring a built-in seat, while the toilet was located outside the house—a perfectly normal arrangement in Ancient Greece.
On the upper floor, you'll find a reconstruction of the gynaikonitis, the women's quarters. This was where cloth was woven on looms, clothes were made, and everyday household tasks were carried out. Nearby is the children's room, which today serves as a small library dedicated to ecology and environmental protection—a fitting tribute to Hippocrates' belief in living in harmony with nature.
A walk through the house is a reminder that the ancient world was not made up solely of magnificent temples and marble statues. Above all, it was the everyday life of ordinary people—their homes, families, work, and the moments they shared together.
👀 Don't Miss
⚡ The statue of Zeus at the entrance, symbolizing the hospitality for which Greece is still famous today.
🔥 The household hearth, the true heart of every ancient Greek home.
🚪 The outdoor toilet, a reminder that everyday life in antiquity was rather different from our own.
🌿 How Was the Garden of Hippocrates Created?
As you wander through the ruins of ancient Kos, it's easy to let your imagination take over. What is much harder is answering a simple question: what did everyday life on the island really look like more than 2,400 years ago? What were people's homes like? What did they eat? How did they raise their children? Which herbs did they use to treat illnesses?
The Garden of Hippocrates was created to answer these questions. It is not an archaeological site, but a carefully designed reconstruction of a Greek settlement from the 5th century BC—the time when Hippocrates lived on Kos.
The project was conceived by Julie Zafeiratou, who has spent many years promoting the island's history, the philosophy of Hippocrates, and the idea of living in harmony with nature. Today, the garden is more than just a tourist attraction. It is also an educational center, hosting workshops for children, events focused on ecology and healthy living, and activities celebrating the heritage of Ancient Greece.
Thousands of trees have been planted around the reconstruction, along with a garden filled with medicinal herbs. The aim is to give visitors more than just a glimpse of the past—to immerse them in the atmosphere of the world where the most famous physician of antiquity once lived.
As you pass through the stone gateway, you begin a journey into the world of Ancient Greece. You'll step inside a family home, wander through Hippocrates' herb garden, visit a theatre and ancient temples, and discover a place where, more than two thousand years ago, people believed that dreams could heal.
🏛️ What Will You See During Your Visit?
Although the Garden of Hippocrates is relatively compact, you can easily spend several hours exploring it. Every building and every corner tells a different story—about everyday life in Ancient Greece, the philosophy of Hippocrates, medicine, mythology, and the natural world that has always played an essential role in healing.
During your visit, you'll discover:
🏠 An ancient Greek family home, showing how people lived more than 2,400 years ago.
🌿 Hippocrates' herb garden, filled with plants that were already being used for medicinal purposes in antiquity.
⚕️ The Hippocrates Knowledge Centre, featuring replicas of ancient medical instruments and exhibits explaining the birth of scientific medicine.
🎭 A stone theatre, where performances, workshops, and cultural events are still held today.
😴 The Abaton, a place where the sick once awaited healing through sacred dreams.
🌾 The Demeter Museum, dedicated to agriculture and the everyday lives of the island's ancient inhabitants.
☀️ The Temple of Apollo, offering insight into the religious beliefs of the ancient Greeks.
Each of these places reveals a different side of the ancient world. This is not a museum where history sits behind glass display cases. It is a place that helps you imagine what life was really like for the people who lived on Kos in the time of Hippocrates.
The Garden of Hippocrates on Kos
🌿 Step into the world of Hippocrates. This is not an archaeological site, but a carefully reconstructed Greek settlement from the 5th century BC.
⚕️ Discover the philosophy of the Father of Medicine. A walk through the garden reveals why Hippocrates believed that nature was one of the greatest healers.
🏛️ Experience everyday life in Ancient Greece. See how people lived, healed the sick, worshipped their gods, and spent their free time more than 2,400 years ago.
👨👩👧 A perfect destination for families. Children can explore the inside of an ancient house, sit in a Greek theatre, and discover history through hands-on experiences.
What Was Life Like in Ancient Greece?
Not every monument on Kos has survived to the present day. At the Garden of Hippocrates, you can see what a Greek family home looked like, breathe in the scent of a garden filled with medicinal herbs, and discover how illnesses were treated more than two thousand years ago.
This is not an archaeological site, but a place designed to help you imagine what everyday life in Ancient Greece was really like.