The principal activity at the asclepieions was the seeking of cures with the technique of dream incubation, or the practice of seeking dreams for specific purposes for everything from healing to practical guidance.
The temple,asclepieion, was established in the sixth or seventh century B.C and was the focus of Aesculapius worship for over eight hundred years.
The cult of Aesculapius was officially transplanted to Rome in 293 B.C. when the asclepieion at Epidaurus sent a giant snake regarded as a form of Aesculapius himself to Rome to halt a disastrous plague.
Those who were seeking cures, or special guidance, from Aesculapius participated in rituals before lying down to sleep in the temple where they anticipated receiving a healing dream from the god.