Everything about Delphi totally explained
Delphi (
Greek Δελφοί, [ðe̞lˈfi]) (
pronounce and
dialectal forms ) is an
archaeological site and a modern town in
Greece on the south-western spur of
Mount Parnassus in the valley of
Phocis. Delphi was the site of the
Delphic oracle, most important
oracle in the classical Greek world, and it was a major site for the worship of the god
Apollo. His sacred precinct in Delphi was a Panhellenic sanctuary, where every four years athletes from all over the Greek world competed in the
Pythian Games.
Delphi was revered throughout the Greek world as the site of the
omphalos stone, the centre of the
earth and the universe. In the inner
hestia ("hearth") of the Temple of Apollo, an
eternal flame burned. After the
battle of Plataea, the Greek cities extinguished their fires and brought new fire from the hearth of Greece, at Delphi; in the foundation stories of several Greek colonies, the founding colonists were first dedicated at Delphi.
Location
Delphi is located in lower central Greece, on multiple plateau/terraces along the slope of
Mount Parnassus, and includes the Sanctuary of Apollo, the site of the ancient
Oracle. This semicircular spur is known as
Phaedriades, and overlooks the Pleistos Valley. Southwest of Delphi, about 15 km (9.5 mi) away, is the harbor-city of
Kirrha on the
Corinthian Gulf.
Dedication to Apollo
The name
Delphoi starts with the same four letters as δελφύς
delphus, "womb" and may indicate archaic veneration of
Gaia, Grandmother
Earth, and the
Earth Goddess at the site. Apollo is connected with the site by his
epithet Δελφίνιος
Delphinios, "the Delphinian." The epithet is connected with
dolphins (Greek δελφίς,-ῖνος) in the
Homeric Hymn to Apollo (line 400), recounting the legend of how Apollo first came to Delphi in the shape of a dolphin, carrying
Cretan priests on his back. The
Homeric name of the oracle is
Pytho (
Πυθώ).
Another legend held that Apollo walked to Delphi from the north and stopped at
Tempe, a city in
Thessaly to pick laurel, a plant sacred to him (generally known in English as the
bay tree). In commemoration of this legend, the winners at the
Pythian Games received a wreath of laurel (bay leaves) picked in Tempe.
Delphi became the site of a major temple to
Phoebus Apollo, as well as the
Pythian Games and the famous prehistoric oracle. Even in Roman times, hundreds of votive statues remained, described by
Pliny the Younger and seen by
Pausanias. Supposedly carved into the temple were three phrases: γνῶθι σεαυτόν (gnothi seauton = "
know thyself") and μηδὲν ἄγαν (meden agan = "nothing in excess"), as well as a large letter
E. Among other things epsilon signifies the number
5.
Plutarch's essay on the meaning of the
“E at Delphi" is the only literary source for the inscription.
From a late myth that deviates from much older ones, when young, Apollo killed the chthonic
serpent Python, named Pythia in older myths, but according to some later accounts his wife,
Pythia, who lived beside the
Castalian Spring, according to some because Python had attempted to rape
Leto while she was pregnant with Apollo and
Artemis. The bodies of the pair were draped around his Rod, which, with the wings created the
caduceus symbolic of the god. This spring flowed toward the temple but disappeared beneath, creating a cleft which emitted vapors that caused the Oracle at Delphi to give her prophecies. Apollo killed Python but had to be punished for it, since she was a child of Gaia. The shrine dedicated to Apollo was originally dedicated to Gaia and then, possibly to
Poseidon. The name
Pythia remained as the title of the Delphic
Oracle. As punishment for this murder Apollo was sent to serve in menial tasks for eight years. A festival, the Septeria, was performed annually portraying the slaying of the serpent, the flight, the atonement and the return of the God. The Pythian Games took place every four years to commemorate his victory
(External Link
).
Erwin Rohde wrote that the
Python was an earth spirit, who was conquered by Apollo, and buried under the
Omphalos, and that it's a case of one deity setting up a temple on the grave of another. Another view holds that Apollo was a fairly recent addition to the Greek
pantheon coming originally from
Lydia. The
Etruscans coming from northern
Anatolia also worshiped Apollo, and it may be that he was originally identical with
Mesopotamian Aplu, an
Akkadian title meaning "son", originally given to the plague God
Nergal, son of
Enlil. Apollo Smintheus (Greek ), the mouse killer eliminates mice, a primary cause of disease, hence he promotes preventive medicine.
Oracle
Delphi is perhaps best-known for the
oracle at the sanctuary that became dedicated to Apollo during the classical period. It had origins in prehistoric times and the worship of
Gaia. in the last quarter of the
8th century BC there's a steady increase of artifacts found at the settlement site in Delphi. Pottery and bronze work as well as tripod dedications continue in a steady stream, in comparison to
Olympia. Neither the range of objects nor the presence of prestigious dedications proves that Delphi was a focus of attention for worshipers of a wide range, but the strong representation of high value goods, found in no other mainland sanctuary, certainly encourages that view.
The priestess of the oracle at Delphi was known as the
Pythia. Apollo spoke through his oracle, who had to be an older woman of blameless life chosen from among the peasants of the area. The sibyl or prophetess took the name Pythia and sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. When Apollo slew Python, its body fell into this fissure, according to legend, and fumes arose from its decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied. Later, it was found that a gas came out of this opening that's known to produce violent trances. She spoke in riddles, which were interpreted by the priests of the temple, and people consulted her on everything from important matters of public policy to personal affairs. Many predictions were quite inaccurate.
H.W. Parke writes that the foundation of Delphi and its oracle took place before the times of recorded history and its origins are obscure, but dating to the worship of the
Great Goddess,
Gaia.
The Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout the Greek world, and she was consulted before all major undertakings: wars, the founding of colonies, and so forth. She also was respected by the semi-Hellenic countries around the Greek world, such as
Lydia,
Caria, and even
Egypt.
» For a list of some of the most noted oracular pronouncements of the Pythia, go to Famous Oracular Statements from Delphi.
The Oracle benefited by the Macedonian Kings. Later it was placed under the protection of the Aetolians. After a brief period the Romans started to emerge, who even protected it from a dangerous
barbarian invasion in 109 B.C. and 105 B.C. A major reorganization was initiated which was interrupted by the wars of
Mithridatic Wars and
Sulla who took many rich offerings from the Oracle. Barbarian invasions were the direct cause of harm, burning the Temple, which was damaged severely by the earthquake in 83 B.C. Ever since the Oracle fell in decay and the whole area in great poverty. The small population led to difficulties in finding the right people to fill the posts required. Its credibility waned due to doubtful predictions. When
Nero came to Greece in 66 A.D., he took away over 500 of the best statues from Delphi to Rome. Subsequent Roman emperors from the
Flavian dynasty contributed significantly towards its restoration.
Hadrian offered complete autonomy. Also
Plutarch was a significant factor by his presence as a chief priest. However, barbarian raids during the reign of
Marcus Aurelius and removal of statues and other riches (practically looting) by
Constantine the Great caused it to decay. The short reign of
Julian the Apostate wasn't capable to improve its situation. Despite this, the Oracle existed until it was ordered to close by emperor
Theodosius I in 395 AD. The site was abandoned for almost 100 years, until Christians started to settle permanently in the area and established a small town about 600 AD by the name
Kastri.
The "Delphic Sibyl"
The
Delphic Sibyl was a legendary prophetic figure who was said to have given prophecies at Delphi shortly after the
Trojan War. The prophecies attributed to her circulated in written collections of prophetic sayings, along with the oracles of figures such as
Bakis. The Sibyl had no connection to the oracle of Apollo, and shouldn't be confused with the
Pythia.
Buildings and structures
Occupation of the site at Delphi can be traced back to the Neolithic period with extensive occupation and use beginning in the Mycenaean period (1600-1100 B.C). Most of the ruins that survive today date from the most intense period of activity at the site in the
6th century BC.
Temple of Apollo
The ruins of the Temple of Apollo visible today date from the
4th century BC are of a
peripteral Doric building. It was erected on the remains of an earlier temple, dated to the
6th century BC which itself was erected on the site of a
7th century BC construction attributed to the architects Trophonios and Agamedes.
The 6th century BC temple was named the "Temple of Alcmeonidae" in tribute to the Athenian family which funded its construction. It was a Doric
hexastyle temple of 6 by 15 columns. The temple was destroyed in 373 BC by an earthquake with the third temple completed on the site by 330 BC. The third temple is attributed to Corinthian architects Spintharos, Xenodoros, and Agathon.
Stoa of the Athenians
The
stoa leads off north-east from the main sanctuary. It was built in the
Ionic order and consists of seven fluted columns, unusually carved from single pieces of stone (most columns were constructed from a series of discs joined together). The inscription on the
stylobate indicates that it was built by the Athenians after their naval victory over the Persians in 478 BC, to house their war trophies.
Theatre
The ancient
theatre at Delphi was built further up the hill from the
Temple of Apollo giving spectators a view of the entire sanctuary and the valley below. It was originally built in the
4th century BC but was remodeled on several occasions since. Its 35 rows can seat 5,000 spectators.
Tholos
The
Tholos at the sanctuary of
Athena Pronaia is a circular building that was constructed between 380 and 360 BC. It consisted of 20
Doric columns arranged with an exterior diameter of 14.76 meters, with 10
Corinthian columns in the interior.
The Tholos is located approximately a half-mile (800 m) from the main ruins at Delphi. Three of the Doric columns have been restored, making it the most popular site at Delphi for tourists to take photographs.
Vitruvius (vii, introduction) notes
Theodorus the Phocian as the architect of the Round Building which is at Delphi.
Excavations
The site had been occupied by the village of
Kastri since medieval times and this had to be relocated before a systematic excavation of the site could be undertaken, a relocation resisted by the residents. The opportunity to relocate the village was presented when it was substantially damaged by an earthquake, with villagers offered a completely new village in exchange for the old site. In 1893 the
French Archaeological School removed vast quantities of soil from numerous landslides to reveal both the major buildings and structures of the sanctuary of Apollo and of Athena Proaea along with thousands of objects, inscriptions and sculptures. of ancient Delphi and the village was moved to a new location, west of the site of the temples.
The
Delphi Archaeological Museum is at the foot of the main archaeological complex, on the east side of the village, and on the north side of the main road. The museum houses an impressive collection associated with ancient
Delphi, including the earliest known notation of a melody. Entries to the museum and to the main complex are separate and chargeable, and a reduced rate ticket gets entry to both. There is a small cafe, and a post office by the museum. Slightly further east, on the south side of the main road, is the
Gymnasium and the
Tholos. Entry to these is free.
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