The Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo spoke, was believed to be the site of the “omphalos”, the 'navel of the world'. Blending harmoniously with the landscape and charged with sacred meaning, Delphi in the 6th century B.C. was indeed the religious centre and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world. Dating back to 1400 BC, the Oracle of Delphi was the most important shrine in all Greece. The sacred precinct occupies a region on the south-western slope of Mount Parnassus. It’s now an extensive archaeological site, and since 1938 a part of Parnassus National Park. It is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in having had a great influence in the ancient world. The Oracle at Delphi was a priestess, Pythia, who made prophecies about the future and was famous throughout the ancient world for divining the future and was consulted before all major undertakings. Pythia was highly regarded. It was believed she channeled prophecies from Apollo himself, while steeped in a dreamlike trance. Ancient sources state that she had to be a local woman, over the age of 50 who had lived a good life. She was also expected to be chaste and hold the post for the rest of her life. Plutarch says that the Pythia was selected from a good family but not necessarily an elite one.
This site while located in spectacular surroundings is quite large and required a good hike for us up the hillside of Mount Parnassus. Here are some of the important sites we saw.
Treasury
Temple of Apollo (then)
Temple of Apollo (now)
Amphitheater
Stadium
We stayed in a small town just down the road from the Sanctuary of Delphi. Here are a few pictures of this typical Greek town.
I made a special Greek friend when we stopped for lunch in town at a little cafe.
There was so much to see both in the little town and the Sanctuary of Delphi. I hope this gives you a little view of this spectacular location and its affect on Greek life.
