Being safely at anchor in Galaxidi we rented a car to visit the ancient site of Delphi, you know, from the Oracle of Delphi?
There are three bauxite mines in the area North of the bay and consequently there are ship loaders around Larnakia and the area is covered in a layer of reddish brown ore dust. The drive from Itea to Delphi is along a scenic and sometimes steep mountain road.
The ancient town of Delphi was the seat of the most important Greek temple and oracle of Apollo. Delphi was considered to be the centre of the world. According to ancient myths, Zeus released two eagles, one from the east, the other from the west, and caused them to fly toward the centre. They met at the future site of Delphi, and the spot was marked by a stone called the omphalos (navel).
Delphi is best known for its oracle, the high priestess prophesying from the Temple of Apollo. Alone in an enclosed inner sanctum the Pythia sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. According to legend, when Apollo slew Python, the mythical-serpent that lived there, its body fell into this opening and fumes arose from the decomposing body. Intoxicated by those fumes, the priestess would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied. Before each day of consultation, she would purify herself in the Castalian spring near the sanctuary in readiness for her task.
The oracle could not be consulted during the three winter months, for this was traditionally the time when Apollo would live among the Hyperboreans, a mythical people living is the far North.
In 2001 scientists discovered in the region the presence of ethylene gas, once used as an anaesthetic and capable of producing a trancelike state. Their findings accord with ancient accounts of vapours rising from the temple floor.
Note, release of gas is limited in colder weather, explaining Apollo’s absence during winter.
Consultation of the gods was one of the cornerstones of ancient Greek religion. Visitors, ranging from private individuals to city-state representatives and wealthy exotic kings, would visit Delphi from across Greece and beyond in the hope of receiving the words of Apollo. The visitors would ask a specific question and the Pythia would answer, sometimes in the form of a riddle or line of verse. The Pythia was the vehicle through which words were transmitted from god to mortal. Access to the Oracle of Delphi was granted only once a month for nine months of the year, except during winter.
The Greeks believed that Delphi was the center of the Earth. This believe and its location along the trade route from Corinth to Northern Greece contributed to its success as an international religious site.
Perhaps most important of all, Delphi was independent. The site was not attached to a large city-state but was protected by a council of representatives. This meant that Delphi could take a neutral stand in internal wars and national crises.
We will describe a few prophesies and its impact on Greeks’ history and consequently on Western civilisation
Around 594 BC, Solon, a leading light in Athenian politics, see; https://www.twobatsea.com/athens-greece-part-1/ consulted the Pythia about the state of his home city. At that time, the Athenian society was dominated by the aristocratic elite and the city was ruled by a series of tyrants. Solon felt the time had come for drastic changes and asked the oracle for advice.
The responses was as follows:
“Position yourself now amidships, for you are the pilot of Athens. Grasp the helm tight in your hands; you have many allies in your city.”
Solon interpreted this as an opportunity to steer Athens away from its current political system and to not rule as a tyrant himself. He made far-reaching constitutional reforms that benefited the wider populace and not just the elite. These changes included the introduction of jury trials, proportionate taxation, and forgiveness of prior debts to allow the poor to rebuild their lives.
The prophecies of the oracle where often ambiguous and required careful interpretation as the following example shows;
Croesus was king of Lydia, now part of modern-day Türkiye and one of the richest men who ever lived, known for his arrogance. He began planning to invade his powerful neighbour Persia. So he went to Delphi to seek the Pythia’s advice. This was Apollo’s response:
“If you will make war on the Persians, you wil destroy a great empire”
Croesus made a fatal mistake and failed to consider this response carefully. In his arrogance he assumed that the ‘ great empire’ meant Persia. Not long into the subsequent war, Croesus overstretched his army and found himself defeated and captured by the Persians.
There are more than 500 Oracular statements which have survived from various sources referring to the oracle at Delphi. We will list one more of the prominent ones;
Shortly before the Persian invasion of southern Greece in 480 BC, the Athenians were anxious for advice from the oracle about the war’s outcome. First, the Pythia told them unequivocally to retreat and escape while they still could. The Athenians were appalled by this and consulted again. This time the response was longer and more complex. Two lines stood out in particular:
“Far-seeing Zeus gives you a wall of wood. Only this will stand intact and help you and your children”.
This vague reference to ‘a wall of wood’ caused confusion when the ambassadors returned to Athens. Some believed this meant the wooden stockade surrounding the Acropolis. Others believed the phrase referred to wooden trireme ships and that they should build up their fleet and engage at sea.
In the end, it was the latter that was true. The Athenians readied their ships and managed to defeat the Persians in the sea battle of Salamis in 480 BC. This event marked the beginning of the Persian withdrawal from Greece and the return of freedom to the Greek world. The oracular statement from Delphi was crucial to the Greeks’ success.
The importance of the Oracle of Delphi would have been clear to any ancient visitor. Huge levels of wealth were on display at the site. Temples, treasury buildings, and vast statues were dedicated by cities across Greece and beyond. Everyone wanted to have a presence at Delphi as a way of marking their own power and importance in an increasingly competitive world.
The temple sanctuary was a large, roughly rectangular area enclosed by a wall. A sacred way lined with monuments and treasuries wound up through the sanctuary to the Temple of Apollo itself, which housed the Delphic oracle in a chamber at the rear. The monuments along the way were offerings to Apollo erected by states or individuals in thanks for favours bestowed by the god.
At the main entrance of the sanctuary, just outside the walled area (not indicated in the lay-out, but shown in the 3D rendering) was the Roman Agora, the area where meetings and commerce occurred in late antiquity. A smart idea to build a market at a location where many pilgrims and worshippers pass every day. Today, only the northern stoa is preserved from the Agora (4th c. AD).
Immediately upon entering the sanctuary through the main gate, the pilgrims were confronted with votive monuments and altars located on both sides of the sacred way.
The votive of Lysander was dedicated in 404 B.C. by the Spartans, following their victory over the Athenians in the battle at Aegos Potamoi (405 B.C.). The erection of the monument is connected with the rise of the hegemony of Sparta and the decadence of the Athenian democracy.
The votive of Marathon was dedicated in 490 BC following the victory over the Persians at Marathon. The thirteen bronze statues were Athena and Apollo, General Miltiades and the ten eponymous heroes who, according to the oracle of Delphi, gave their names to the Athenian tribes.
The city of Argos dedicated a bronze Trojan Horse to Apollo after their victory against the Spartans in Thyrea’s frontier war (414 B.C.). It acted as a reminder of the renowned incident of the Trojan War and their participation in it together with Agamemnon and Diomedes.
Unfortunately only foundations and pedestals are all that is left of these monuments of which there were many, many more.
Further up the Sacred Way was the area of the treasuries. Treasuries were small, temple-shaped buildings dedicated by the Greek city-states and their colonies at sanctuaries. They often housed precious votives of the cities that had dedicated them. Liza is posing next to the treasury of the Sikyonians, and facing the treasury of Siphnos.
The small island of Siphnos was very wealthy due to its gold and silver mines and its richness is reflected in their treasury. On the façade the usual two columns supporting the epistyle are here replaced by two female statues, similar to the Korai of the Erechtheion porch in the Acropolis. See; https://www.twobatsea.com/athens-greece-part-2-acropolis-hill/
Upper torso of the caryatid to the right in the drawing. Holes on the wavy hair-locks round the forehead served the insertion of decorative metal attachments. Behind the torso the restored door frame of the treasury of Siphnos.
The East frieze of the treasury, depicting scenes from the Trojan war, and the pediment are also preserved. The left half of the frieze shows the Gods in Olympus. Those on the left, including Zeus, the king of gods sitting on a throne, are in support of Troy. The figures to the right facing Zeus are in support of the Achaeans (the Greeks).
The left half shows the fight. Around the body of a dead warrior Trojan heroes (to the left) fight against Achaeans (to the right). Closing the scene, the elderly figure of Nestor (figure to the utmost right) enheartens the Achaeans to win the battle.
We walk further up the Sacred Way and in the sharp right turn the Omphalos is on display at the location where it was found during excavation.
The Omphalos, or navel, or center of the earth, would originally have been placed next to the Pythia, the oracle, in the inner sanctuary of the Temple of Apollo, as shown in the earlier photo. It was covered with a woollen net with attached bands of wool, called the agrenon. (See Pompei fresco). According to the 2nd c. A.D. traveler Pausanias, at the points where the bands were tied, between them were precious stones carved in the shape of gorgons, while two golden eagles were affixed to its top.
We continue up the Sacred Way.
The treasury of the Athenians is completely rebuild with the original marble from the island of Paros. It served as a treasury for the Athenian offerings to Apollo including trophies seized after the military victories of Athens.
Beneath the paving stones of the Sacred Way, in front of the Stoa of the Athenians, French archaeologists discovered two pits full of objects made of precious material (gold, ivory, silver, copper) dating from the 8th to the 5th century BC, validating the testimony of ancient writers concerning the fabulous gifts dedicated to Apollo.
Like this life-size bull. The core was made of wood and then plated with forged sheets of silver. The details of the bull (horns, ears, hooves etc) were gold-plated.
At least three chryselephantine statues (statues overlaid with gold and ivory) were found. A reconstruction of one of them, probably Apollo is pictured above. Riveted on the wooden body of the statue were gold or gilded sheets with forged decoration, rendering the clothing, hair, jewelry and other details, whereas the head and nude parts of the body, such as legs and arms were made of ivory. The eyes and eyelids were inlaid. This figure was probably sitting on a throne. The face has been restored in wax.
In 560 BC, Naxos sends this offering to Apollo of Delphi; the statue of the mythical Sphinx. It was located in front of the polygonal wall West of the Athenian Stoa. The daemonic creature was supposed to ward off evil.
This was the monster that Oedipus had to face upon his return from the Delphic oracle, when trying to escape from what the gods had decided upon. By solving the riddle that the Sphinx presented to each traveller, he became the new king of Thebes and married a woman who, unknown to him, turned out to be his mother Jocasta, thus committing the sin of incest.
The riddle the Sphinx asked was; which is the creature that has one voice, but has four feet in the morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three feet at night? Anyone who struggled to answer was eaten by the monster. However, Oedipus managed to answer correctly; he replied “the man”, who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two as an adult, and needs a walking cane when old.
Here we are looking at the front of the Tempel of Apollo. The spirally wound bronze column is placed at the location where the tripod of the Plataeans once stood. Far left you can stil see the treasury of the Athenians. Liza, to the right, is studying the temple layout.
The tripod of the Plataeans was a common votive by all the Greeks at the Delphic sanctuary following their victory over the Persians in the battle of Plataea in 479 B.C.
The Greeks, after gathering the spoils of victory, kept one-tenth and used this to cover the cost of dedicating to Apollo a gold tripod supported on a bronze column 7.5 m. tall in the form of a three-bodied serpent.
The Phocians melted down the gold from the tripod during the third Sacred War (354-343 B.C.), and Constantine the Great transferred the serpentine column to Constantinople (present day Istanbul) when it was founded in 330 A.D. and set it up in the Hippodrome, where it still stands today.
The Temple of Apollo, god of music, harmony and light, occupied the most important and prominent position in the Delphic Sanctuary. Note that Persian shields, taken as booty by the Athenian’s from the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC, were attached to the temple’s frieze along with Gallic shields, spoils of the repulse of Gauls during the 279 BC. invasion.
The remains of the Temple today. The Pythia, the Oracle, was seated in the lowest part inside the temple.
Another find worthwhile mentioning is the column of the dancers offered by the Athenians around 330 BC. The 13 m high structure stood to the right of the temple entrance, the green-yellow column pictured in the reconstruction photo of the temple.
Between the NW side of the temple and the theater, a life size bronze statue was found. The “Charioteer of Delphi” is one of the best known ancient Greek statues, and one of the best preserved examples of classical bronze casts.
The sculpture depicts the driver of the chariot race at the moment when he presents his chariot and horses to the spectators in recognition of his victory.
Chariot races then, can be compared to F1 racing today. Horses and chariots were very costly. In standard Greek racing practise, each chariot held a single driver and was pulled by four horses. Drivers and horses risked serious injury or death through collisions and crashes; this added to the excitement and interest for spectators. For example; in 462 BC, Arcesilaus won a chariot race at the Pythian Games at Delphi and he was the only one who made it to the finish line!
The statue was part of a complex of statues that included his four horses and the chariot upon which he stood. With the exception of his missing left arm, the bronze statue is preserved in remarkable state.
Parts of the base have also survived with an inscription indicating that the statue was commissioned by Polyzalus who was the tyrant of Gela, a Greek colony in Sicily as tribute to Apollo for helping him win the chariot race during the Pythian games. The winners were allowed to raise statues.
The facial expression betrays none of the exuberance you would expect a victorious athlete to project, especially immediately following the race. Instead the athlete stands with admirable modesty and faces the crowd in total control of his emotions.
The statue’s eyelashes and the lips are made of copper, while the head band in the shape of a meander is impressed in silver. The eyes are made of onyx. The detailed curls of his wet hair and soft beard speak of the preceding race in intimate and subtle details.
We walk higher up the mountain.
We reached the top of the theater and are looking down toward the temple of Apollo. Walking even further up and now away from the sanctuary we find the stadium. But why a theater and a stadium in this sanctuary?
Answer; to host the Phytian Games.
The Pythian Games were held in honour of Apollo every four years, two years after the Olympic Games. The Pythian Games were founded sometime in the 6th century BC. The Games were ranked second in importance behind the Olympics.
Unlike the Olympics, the Pythian Games also featured competitions for music, poetry – prose – drama, dance and painting, which pre-dated the athletic portion of the games, and were performed in the theater. Women were allowed to take part in some events.
The athletic portion of the games, including chariot races, was performed in the stadium. Victors received a wreath of bay laurel.
With the spread of Christianity, the old pagan stronghold fell into decay, and it was permanently closed by decree of the Roman Emperor Theodosius about 385 AD. Despite the closure of Delphi as a religious centre, the Pythian Games continued to be celebrated until at least AD 424.
It was a long and interesting day in Delphi. We hope you enjoyed this story. Soon we will continue West in the Corinthian sea.
Warm regards; Liza and Frits