Ἐπίδαυρος

Ancient Greek

Etymology

According to Strabo, the city was originally named Ἐπίταυρος (Epítauros) under the Ionians, before taking the name Ἐπίκαρος (Epíkaros) under the Carians, before finally becoming Ἐπίδαυρος under the Dorians. Compare the individual elements ἐπί (epí, “upon”), ταῦρος (taûros, “bull”), Καρία (Karía, “Carian”), and Δωριεύς (Dōrieús), Δωριεῖς (Dōrieîs, “Dorians”). Also compare the mythological hero of the same name.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /e.pí.dau̯.ros/ → /eˈpi.ða.βros/ → /eˈpi.ða.vros/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /e.pí.dau̯.ros/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.daw.ros/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.ða.βros/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.ða.vros/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /eˈpi.ða.vros/

Proper noun

Ἐπίδαυρος • (Epídauros) f (genitive Ἐπῐδαύρου); second declension

1. Epidaurus (an ancient town on the Argolid Peninsula, Greece, famous for its theatre).

Inflection

Second declension of ἡ Ἐπίδαυρος; τῆς Ἐπιδαύρου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ἡ Ἐπίδαυρος hē Epídauros
Genitive	τῆς Ἐπιδαύρου tês Epidaúrou
Dative	τῇ Ἐπιδαύρῳ têi Epidaúrōi
Accusative	τὴν Ἐπίδαυρον tḕn Epídauron
Vocative	Ἐπίδαυρε Epídaure
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Derived terms

• Ἐπιδαύριος (Epidaúrios)

Descendants

• Greek: Επίδαυρος (Epídavros)
• → Latin: Epidaurus

Further reading

• “Ἐπίδαυρος”, in Autenrieth, Georg (1891) A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges, New York: Harper and Brothers
• “Ἐπίδαυρος”, in Slater, William J. (1969) Lexicon to Pindar, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter
• Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎^[1], London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,009
• Smith, William (1904): A Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology and Geography