Glorious Delphi

Once upon a time, a ship full of Cretan sailors was adrift in the sea when they caught the eye of Apollo, the God of Sun and the Arts. Apollo transformed himself into a dolphin and swam to the stricken ship. He promised the exhausted sailors that he would rescue them to shore, as long as they devoted the rest of their lives to his worship, never to see their homeland again.

The exhausted sailors reached the shore on the back of the dolphin-shaped God and became his priests, establishing what would become his most important place of worship. And, Apollo inscribed upon the entrance of the temple, the phrase «γνῶθι σεαυτόν» or «know thyself», with the priests naming the area «Delphi», after «Dolphis», the ancient Greek word for dolphin.

And Zeus himself, trying to find the center of the world, his grandmother Gaea or «Earth» embarked upon a quest: he tasked two eagles to fly in different directions; one to the east, one to the west. And the eagles flew but soon enough, their paths crossed over Delphi, forever marking it as the centre of the entire world. An oval stone marked the «Omphalos» or navel of Gaea, which, under Apollo’s patronage became the seat of Pythia, the most famous oracle of ancient times.

Through her sibyllic answers, the Pythia provided ambiguous and verbally dextrous responses with solutions not apparent until much thought had gone into them. Rulers from all over Greece and, later, Rome, came to see her and listen to her predictions, from Solon and Alexander the Great to emperors like Hadrian and Nero, so enraged at her prophecy that he burned her alive.

And all Greeks respected the oracle, with the Athenians so much so that they even built a stoa and a treasury to commemorate their victory at the Battle of Marathon.

The theatre of Delphi, uphill of the sanctuary offered spectators unique views of the entire complex and, despite the steep angle of this mountainside, both a gymnasium and stadium were built, hosting the annual Pythian Games as well as the Hippodrome, from which the famous statue of the Eniochos of «Charioteer» originated. The Charioteer is today part of the permanent collection at the modern Delphi Archaeological Museum at the foot of the site, as is the famous Sphinx of Naxos, a huge 2.2 meter statue which guarded the oracle, standing atop a 10 meter column.

But the oracle’s heyday eventually came to an end and the Pythia responded to the last Byzantine emperor who sent to restore her former glory, as her last prophecy: 

Tell to the king, that the carven hall is fallen in decay;
Apollo has no home left, no prophesying laurel,
No talking spring. And the talking water has dried up.

Nowadays, leaders from the field of politics, economy and academia gather at the modern town of Delphi for the influential annual Delphi Economic Forum. Whether they find the surroundings inspiring or they receive their inspiration from the Castallian Springs as Pythia did is a subject of debate, however one suspects that the designation of Delphi as the centre of the world may be the source for all the radiating wisdom, thought and knowledge. After all, Zeus knew better, didn’t he?

Info

1. Archeological Site of Delphi
2. Archeological Museum of Delphi – Opening Hours: 8:00 – 20:00 (On Tuesdays, the Museum is open from 10:00 to 17:30) / Admission Fee: 12 Euros 
3. Ancient Stadium
4. Ancient Temple of Appolo
5. Ancient Temple of Athena
6. Arachova Village
7. Hosios Loukas Monastery

Suggestion: Just a few kilometers away lies Arachova, the mountain resort city that is popular during winter and summer. Its picturesque streets and traditional restaurants are the ideal place to take a walk, try the local cuisine or just enjoy the breathtaking views from Mt. Parnassus!