Delphi

Delphi Overview

Considered to be the center of the world by ancient Greeks, according to myth, Zeus released a pair of eagles. One was released from the west and the other from the east, each was directed to fly to the middle point. That middle point was what would become Delphi. The site was marked by a stone that was eventually brought to the Temple of Apollo. Anyone who wants to know the future, shouldn’t miss visiting this site as the home to the most important oracle in all of ancient Greece. Many empires have risen and fallen because of what the oracles have predicted. After the Romans captured Delphi in the 2^nd century BC, however, it was frequently pillaged. Nero was said to remove 500 statues from this area, and with the spread of Christianity and the old pagan stronghold disappearing, the site was permanently closed in 385 AD by decree of Theodosius.

Today, Delphi is an extensive archaeological site with a small town of the same name nearby. Nature, including age-old trees that rustle in the gentle breeze, the mythical significance and the commanding view making it feel as if the veils of time have been lifted, and one is standing at the beginning of the world.

Delphi History in a Nutshell

Dedicated to the Greek god Apollo, the ancient religious sanctuary of Delphi was developed over the 8th-century B.C. It famously houses the Oracle of Delphi and the priestess Pythia, known in the ancient world for predicting the future and the one who was to be consulted before any major undertaking. It also hosted the games considered the most important only after the Olympics, the Pythian Games. These ancient competitions, like today’s Olympics, were held every four years, honoring Apollo. Other than the usual athletic events, it also included music and poetry contests. In fact, it originally started as a musical competition back in the 6th-century BC, with the athletic games added over time. While its used diminished quite a bit with the rise of the philosophical movement of Rationalism in the 3rd century BC, Byzantine emperor Theodosius I in 394 BC that was primarily responsible for its demise. With Christianity on the rise, it completely fell and ended up buried underneath the site of a new village where it remained until being uncovered in the late 19thcentury.

While the occupation of the sanctuary traces back to the Neolithic period, most ruins that still stand today are from the 6th century BC, which was during the peak of activity at the site. The first stone temples, Apollo’s and Athena’s, were built in the late 7th century BC. Archaeological and literally records reveal that other gods, including Poseidon, Hermes, Dionysus and Artemis, were also associated with the sanctuary.