Search the new site:


Delphi 287 pictures 7.24 minutes HQ video view of the site Delphi is the last thrilling stop on this tour of Acarnania, and is reached by following the coast of Aetolia and Phocis, from Nafpaktos to Itea, to climb toward Mt. Parnassos, so dear to Apollo and the Muses. Large tracts of area are immersed in the so-called "sea of olives". The rust-colored twin limestone peaks of the Phaidriades seem to materialize suddenly out of nowhere, rising steeply above the ruins of the sacred city of Apollo. The famous sanctuary of Apollo Pythios was built around the end of the 9^th century B.C. on the site of a previous Mycenaean settlement (15^th-12^th centuries B.C.) that, it seems, was already an important cult center. According to the myth, Apollo killed Python the dragon-snake son of Ghe (of Gaia, the Great Mother Earth), who was also the guardian of the rocky chasm from which Ghe released vapors that induced trance-like state, during which the subject acquired prophetic powers. Once again at Delphi, therefore, an Olympian deity stole, not entirely with impunity, the place of an ancient divinity. This generally indicates the arrival of the latest Indo-European wave in Greece, and is almost inevitably followed by the further development and expansion of Hellenic civilization. In any case, Apollo usurped the site and the prophetic powers of the mysterious, primordial natural force that was released from the chasm, delegating to a priestess, the Pythia, the task of expressing and divulging his wishes through ambiguous oracles, interpreted by a special board of priests. These religious prerogatives and well-advised relationships that the priests of the sanctuary maintained with the poleis, made Delphi, the mythical "navel of the world", one of greatest political epicenters of antiquity. The exceptional wealth of the sanctuary - in terms of both economic resources and donated art treasures - is clear from the 7^th century B.C. Inside the temenos, at the temple of Apollo, the god himself, through prophecy and answers, authorized or vetoed all the proposed actions of the Greek people and (at least from the 6^th century B.C.) of a large number of non-Greeks who consulted the Pythia, from the founding of the earliest colonies up to the wars. It is solely for this reason that, between the 6^th and 4^th centuries B.C., "sacred" wars were fought and strong tensions built up around the city of Apollo's oracle. Roman Agora A Roman imperial rectangular forum-like plaza. The plaza is flanked to the north by an Ionic portico dating from the 5^th - 6^th century A.D. The portico is all that remains of a facelift given to Delphi when it was an archbishopric, before being destroyed during the Slavic invasion. To the north lie the ruins of shops that once sold votive objects and religious souvenirs. Sacred Way The sacred way is a paved road that houses, from its very beginning, an impressive number of bases of monuments built by major "poleis" between the 5^th and 4^th centuries B.C., to commemorate important historical events. These monuments were clearly also used for propaganda purposes, featuring works by the most prestigious artists of the time. Base of the Bull of Kerkyra The base to the right of the Sacred road on which the Corcyreans (the inhabitants of Kerkyra or Corfu) built a huge bronze bull in 480 B.C. to thank Apollo for a miraculous catch of tuna. Monument to the Kings of Argos This monument dating back to 371 B.C., was built to celebrate humiliating defeats inflicted on the hated Spartans. Other monuments to the Heroes of Argos stand face to face, on two symmetrical exedra. Thesauros of Sikyon This structure is opening on a Doric distyle in antis built around 500 B.C. on foundations made from blocks scavenged from two previous buildings, one of which bore precious middle Archaic metopes. Thesauros of Siphnos It was built a little before 525 B.C., when, as Herodote recounts, the Siphnians were in a flourishing economic position, because of the exploitation of gold mines. This treasury had a very rich decoration in relief, now exposed in the museum. In the facade, instead of the usual two columns, it had statues of two "Korai", dressed female figures supporting the capitals on the top of their heads. Thesauros of Athens It was built after the battle of Marathon (490 B.C.). It is nearly intact, thanks to efforts to restore it. A little larger than the treasure of Siphnos is another Doric structure distyle in antis: note the simple harmony of the proportions and the metope frieze alternating with triglyphs, depicting Theseus' victory over the Amazons and the heroic feats of Heracles, still expressed through the late Archaic figurative language. This had led some experts to believe that the foundation date from the end of the 6^th century B.C. Stoa of the Athenians It is a long, elegant stoa. The polygonal masonry of the wall against which the stoa was built bears hundreds of perfectly executed Hellenistic epigraphs, mostly decrees granting freedom to slaves. The stoa itself, an Ionic portico in Parian marble and timber, was meant as a memorial and "museum" area for objects consecrated to Apollo. Base of the Statue of Apollo Sitalkas The high base of the colossal statue of Apollo Sitalkas, was built around 355 B.C. by the member cities of the Delphic Amphictyony. Almost at the southeastern corner of the temple is the base of the famous Pillar of Lucius Aemilius. Pillar of Prusias This monument was dedicated by the Aetolians to Prusias II, King of Bithynia, to celebrate his victory over the Galatians in 182 B.C. Temple of Apollo The remains of the temple of Apollo date from its sixth reconstruction (373 B.C.) and follow the shape and dimensions of the preceding structure (548-514 B.C.). The sixth reconstruction was commissioned by a powerful aristocratic family from Athens, the Alcmaeonids. It is a Classical Doric peripteral temple, hexastyle (6x15 columns in plastered tufa, like the walls), with a bluish limestone base (about 60x23 meters) built over a beehive or artificial terraces. All we know about the interior of the temple derives from ancient texts, since nothing has been found during the excavations. The cella, peristasis pronaos and opisthodomos were decorated with works of art running along historical and religious lines, some of which can still be seen today. Theater The theater lies against the terrace of the temple, with a curtain of woody hills. It was built in the 4^th century B.C. and renovated in the 2^nd century B.C. It is well preserved, except for the skene building which is hardly recognizable. The cavea is inserted into the natural slope. With an orchestra over 18 meters in diameter, the theater could seat 5000-6000 spectators. The path leading to the theater features frescoed porticoes, exedra decorated with sculptures, and bronze votive shrines. Stadium The stadium, partially dug into the hillside, was the backdrop of athletic and chariot contests. Built in the 5^th century B.C., it was renovated during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and fitted with a tribune of honor and tiers in limestone from Mt. Parnassos, placed on a high podium. The field is 178.35 meters long, and still shows the start and finish points. The stadium could seat up to 7000 spectators. Gymnasium The Gymnasium of Delphi, was a complex of buildings, useful to the training and the education of young people, indispensable in all Greek cities and sanctuaries. Its facilities, mainly dating from the 4^th century B.C., were arranged in two levels retained by supporting walls. Tholos (Heroon of Phylakos) The splendid tholos is a rare example of a temple with a circular ground plan, a masterpiece by the Phocian architect Teodoros (380-370 B.C.). The structure, now identified as the 'heroon of Phylakos', who defended the sanctuary against the Persian threat in 480 B.C. is clearly Attic in proportions and style, especially in the outer peribolos with 20 Doric columns. The Doric frieze with metopes in low relief, the lacunar ceiling with diamond-shaped coffers, and the eaves indicate a decorative intention that is no longer rigidly based on Classical aesthetic criteria. Thesauros of Massalia This structure was built towards 535-530 B.C. This small Ionic temple, distyle in antis, once featured rare Aeolian capitals. Temple of Athena A Doric pertipteros hexastyle dating from the end of the 6^th century B.C., The temple was heavily damaged during a landslide in 480 B.C., and in the earthquake of 373 B.C. Only few pieces of its sculptured metopes and pediments survived. It is interesting to notice, that in its foundations, there have been found fragments of pillars and capitals belonging to an older temple, of the middle of the 7^th century B.C., which is one of the oldest monumental temples of ancient Greek architecture. Back to Greece Index