Delphi
I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology since my younger days (still am!!) This is my second visit to Delphi. Delphi was an ancient religious sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god Apollo. Developed in the 8th century B.C., the sanctuary was home to the Oracle of Delphi and the priestess Pythia, who was famed throughout the ancient world for divining the future and was consulted before all major undertakings.
Delphi in Greek Mythology
According to mythology, it is here that the two eagles sent out by Zeus from the ends of the universe to find where the navel of the world met. The eagles met at the future site of Delphi – Zeus marked the spot with a sacred stone called the omphalos (meaning navel) which later held at the sanctuary of Apollo. The Greeks considered Delphi as the center (or navel) of the world.
Greeks believed the site was originally sacred and belonged to Gaea, or Mother Earth, and was guarded by Gaea’s serpent child, Python. Apollo killed Python and founded his oracle there. According to legend, natives of the island of Crete, accompanied by Apollo in the guise of a dolphin, arrived at the port of Delphi (Kirrha) and built the god’s sanctuary.
This myth survived in plays presented during the various Delphic festivals, such as the Septerion, the Delphinia, the Thargelia, the Theophania, and, of course. the famous Pythia, which celebrated the death of Python and comprised musical and athletic competitions.
Early History of Delphi
Archaeological evidence suggests a Mycenaen (1600–1100 B.C.) settlement and cemetery once existed within the sanctuary area. Around 1400 B.C., Delphi may have held a sanctuary devoted to the deity Gaea or Athena that was destroyed by a rockfall at the end of the Bronze Age.
What’s more, archaeologists discovered artifacts and evidence of rituals in Korykeion Andron, a cave on Mount Parnassus, that date back to the Neolithic Period (4000 B.C.).
Delphi is a town on Mount Parnassus in the south of mainland Greece. It’s the site of the 4th-century-B.C. Temple of Apollo, once home to a legendary oracle. This extensive mountainside archaeological complex contains the remains of the sanctuaries of Apollo and Athena Pronaia, as well as an ancient stadium and theater. Delphi Archaeological Museum displays artifacts found among the ruins. The sanctuary was the center of the Amphictyonic League, an association of twelve tribes of Thessaly and the Sterea (south-central Greece), with religious and later political significance. The Amphictyonic League controlled the operation and finances of the sanctuary, as it designated its priests and other officials chosen from among the inhabitants of Delphi. In the sixth century BC, under the League’s protection and administration, the sanctuary was made autonomous (First Sacred War), it increased its territory and political and religious influence throughout Greece and reorganized the Pythian Games, the second most important games in Greece after the Olympics, which were held every four years.
Oracle of Delphi
The oracle was thought to have existed since the dawn of time. Indeed, it was believed to have successfully predicted events related to the cataclysm of Deukalion, the Argonaut’s expedition, and the Trojan War; more certain are the consultations over the founding of the Greek colonies. It was the oracle’s fame and prestige that caused two Sacred Wars in the middle of the fifth and fourth centuries BC. In the third century BC, the sanctuary was conquered by the Aetolians, who were driven out by the Romans in 191 BC. In Roman times, the sanctuary was favored by some emperors and plundered by others, including Sulla in 86 BC. Archaeological research in Delphi began in 1860 by Germans. In 1891, the Greek government granted the French School at Athens permission for long-term excavations on the site. It is then that the village of Kastriwas removed to allow for the so-called “Great Excavation’ to take place. The Great Excavation uncovered spectacular remains, including about three thousand inscriptions of great importance for our knowledge of public life in ancient Greece.
Today, the Greek Archaeological Service and the French School at Athens continue to research, excavate and conserve the two Delphic sanctuaries. Of all the monuments, only the Treasury of the Athenians had enough of its conserve the two Delphic sanctuaries. Of all the monuments, only the Treasury of the Athenians had enough of its original building material preserved to allow for its almost complete reconstruction. The project was financed by the City of Athens and carried through by the French School in 1903-1906. The Chiot altar, the Temple of Apollo, and the Tholos were also partially restored. In 1927 and 1930, the poet Angelos Sikelianos and his wife, Eva, attempted to revive the Delphic idea and make of Delphi a new cultural center of the earth, through a series of events that included performances of the ancient theatre.
The End of Delphi
In 548 B.C., the first temple was destroyed by fire and remained in ruins for at least three decades until the Alcmaeonids (an Athenian family) rebuilt it.
The fame and prestige of the oracle also resulted in three Sacred Wars in the middle of the 5th and 4th centuries B.C., with the sanctuary coming under the rule of the Phocians from central Greece, and then Macedonians under the reign of Phillip II (father of Alexander the Great)
Though Delphi remained culturally important to some Roman emperors, such as Hadrian, others pillaged it, including Lucius Cornelius Sulla in 86 B.C. In A.D. 393 or 394, the Byzantine emperor Theodosius outlawed the practice of ancient (pagan) religions and the pan-Hellenic games, putting an end to the power of the oracle. The temples and statues of Delphi were subsequently destroyed.
Christian communities settled in the area and in the 7th century A.D., a new village called Kastri grew over the ruins of Delphi.
Delphi Archaeology 
In the 1860s, German archaeologists began the first research into Delphi. Some 30 years later, the Greek government granted the French School at Athens (an archaeological institute) permission to conduct intensive excavations at Kastri. Before this “Great Excavation” could commence, the government relocated the Kastri villagers to a new site that they named Delphi.
Workers demolished Kastri houses and installed a mini-railway to remove the debris; excavation began in 1892 and has continued throughout the following decades.
Delphi, Greece (September 2019)
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