oracle of

Delphi
 Delphi History
 Located on the southern slopes of
Mount Parnassus.
 Delphi was sacred to Apollo, whose
famous temple and prophetic shrine
were there.
 In honor of the killing of the monster
Python by Apollo, the Pythian Games
were held in Delphi every four years.
 A priestess was known as the Pythia in
honour of Apollo’s slaying of a
mythical beast called the Python.
 The trancelike state in which the
Delphic oracle (always a woman)
delivered her prophecies was induced
by vapors that rose from the earth
underneath the temple of Apollo. Long
dismissed as a legend, this story
received confirmation from the
findings (2001)
Outline of the
oracle
 The Theatre
 Theatre-
 Above the Temple of Apollo is
an outdoor theater with 33
tiers of stone seats that could
hold up to 5,000 people.
 It was built partially out of the
living rock with some of the
supporting masonry dating to
fifth century BCE.
 Four pillars remain of the
Roman Triumphal Arch which
formed the entrance at the
south-eastern corner, built by
Herodes Atticus, the famous
Athenian philanthropist.
 Temple of Apollo

 The ancient Greek shrine of Apollo rests on the side of Mount Parnassus
 where the Oracles made their predictions (below)
 centre piece of Delphi, built with donations from every Greek city-state and
from abroad
 the base of the temple still stands, with half a dozen of the original
columns
 on the outside of the base are over 700 inscriptions, most announcing the
release of slaves, which was considered a special act of piety (devotion to
 Sacred way
 Upon arriving at Delphi, the supplicants
registered and paid a fee; when their
appointments neared, they purified
themselves at the Castalian Spring, where the
bathing trough is still visible. They then
proceeded along the Sacred Way, a zigzag
flagstone walk up the hill. The Sacred Way was
lined with statues and offerings, most of which
have long disappeared, although a few
surviving examples can be seen in the Delphi
Museum. Also along the way were a series of
treasuries, small shrines sponsored by various
Greek cities as thank-offerings for important
victories. 
 The Sacred Way ended outside the temple,
there the pilgrims would sacrifice a sheep or
goat, whose entrails( inner parts) were
examined by the priests for omens( future).
Then the pilgrims entered one by one to ask
the sibyl their question. A carved domed rock,
the omphalos, or centre of the earth, was kept
at the place of prophecy. In an ancient flood
story about the human race, the omphalos was
the first thing to emerge from the waters as
they receded. In addition, Zeus sent two
ravens out from the ends of the earth to find
its center, and their beaks touched at the
omphalos. The stone is presently kept in a
 Castalia Spring/ The Athena
Pronoia Temple

 The Castalia Spring-

 tucked into a ravine right under the Phaedriades.
Apollo is said to have planted a laurel tree here
which he brought from the Vale of Tempe.
 All visitors purified themselves here before entering
the sanctuary. 
 Many poets found inspiration from drinking the
waters here and it was said that if you drink of the
waters of the Castalia Spring, you would return to
Greece.  

  The Athena Pronoia Temple ( "The Marmaria")-

  small sacred terrace
  The first Athena temple was built in the Archaic
period and was a small peripheral temple and known
as the Athena Pronaia temple, the "Athena-in-front-
of-the-temple" (Guardian of the Temple).
 Tholos of Athena Pronoia
 Gymnasium

 Between the Marmaria and the Castalia Spring, south of the Arachova-
Delphi road 
 This two-level complex of athletic building was built in the late Classical
and Hellenistic periods and rebuilt during the Roman period.
 On the upper level was the xystos or long colonnade where the athletes
practiced in bad weather and a parallel track in the open air.
 On the lower level are the remains of a peristyle court which served as a
palaestra or wrestling ground, which is the most recognizable of the
standing remains.
 A monastery was built into this Palaestra, actually reusing some of the
ancient walls. It was moved out when the village was relocated in 1891.
 Next to the palaestra were a bath complex with a cold plunge and some
baths built into the back of the terrace

The Museum
in the museum is a copy of the
omphalos stone and the Halos
Treasure, religious objects from the
sanctuary ritually buried in a pit called
a bothros.

 The highlight of the museum's

collection is  a bronze statue known as
The Charioteer. It was sculpted in
about 470 BC and commemorated the
victory of a Syracusan prince in a
chariot race of the Pythian games and
was probably paid for by Gelon, the
tyrant of Syracuse. It is one of the few
ancient bronzes to come down to us as
most would have been melted down to
reuse their valuable raw material. It
was part of a group which would have
stood on a terrace wall up slope from
the Temple of Apollo. It fell from this
terrace and was preserved by a
landslide to be excavated by the
French in 1896. It is famous for the
contrast between its severe Classical
formality and its intensity and life-like
aspects.
 The Oracle
 Home of the sacred oracle of the
sun-god Apollo
 Apollo was believed to send
messages to humans through a
cleft in the rocks
 These sayings were interpreted
by the oracle, a priestess known
as the Pythia
 The oracles replies were usually
so ambiguous that it was difficult
ever to prove them wrong, but
this does not seem to have
discouraged supplicants.
 Greeks and non-Greeks, kings,
and commoners, came to consult
the oracle of private and public
matters
 Prophet
 It was first necessary to sacrifice an animal, then to wait in the
inner chamber of the temple
 Priestesses ( there were three altogether) were women over 50
years of age.
3. They first cleansed themselves in the scared spring of Castalia
and drank water from another spring.
4. They chewed bay leaves while seated on a tripod suspended
over a cleft in the rocks
5. “The vapours issuing from the cleft were supposed to give the
priestesses (Pyhtia) a heightened consciousness and cause
prophetic utterances.”
6. These cries would then be interpreted by a male prophet usually
in ambiguous verse
4Stages
4. Ambiguous Verses 1. Castalia Spring

3.Prophecies 2. Bay Leaves

Pythia Apollo

Omphalos
 Political
 During the 8th century the city states began to seek the oracle’s advice on
colonizing ventures, and it grew in importance.
 Was consulted on a wide range of personal and political problems.
 Gained importance as a meeting-place with the establishment of the Pythian games
about 590BCE
Political Figures that visited the Oracle
 Oedipus—> “ Prophesized that he would kill his father and marry his mother.”
 When grown, Oedipus heard the prophecy about himself and fled Corinth, believing
that Polybius was his father. While on the road he killed a stranger, not knowing that
it was Laius. Entering Thebes, he found the city dominated by a sphinx who killed
anyone who could not solve her riddle: "Who goes on four feet in the morning, on
two at noon, and in the evening on three?" Oedipus vanquished her by replying,
"Man, in the three ages of his life," and won the hand of the widowed queen.
 Before the Battle of Salamis when the Pythia first predicted doom and later
predicted that a 'wooden wall' (interpreted by the Athenians to mean their ships)
would save them.
 king Croesus of Lydia (circa 546 BCE) who asked if he should invade Persian
territory. His reply from the oracle was, if he did invade a mighty empire would be
destroyed. Croesus thinking he would be victorious invaded, but it was his own
empire that fell and subsequently destroyed.
 Socrates
 Alexander the Great
 Sophocles
 Economic
 Short Term
 The city states made
rich offerings to Apollo
to invoke his help.
 Long Term
 Became prosperous
 The interpretations of
the ambiguous verses
lead to the downfall of
some countries.
(economically)
 Social
 “ Personal ethics and social
morality were given great
importance, and the sanction
given to overseas settlements
enhanced the sanctuary’s
influence in the wider Greek
world.”
 Towns in Greece wanting to
establish new settlements abroad,
often consulted the Oracle of
Apollo at Delphi
 Local Greek farmers would
consult the oracle for advice on
crops and harvesting
 Helped people make decisions
 In conclusion, this advice and
ritual of visiting the oracle
became imbedded into their every
 Impact on Greece
 In Greek history the chief significance of Delphi was that it
provided a meeting place for the inhabitants of the city-
states.
 Pythian games established around 590BCE.
 In religion its influence was conservative.
 “On the subject of purification from bloodshed, it took a
strong stand and gradually evolved the doctrine that purity
was a matter of the spirit rather than of ritual. Its moderate
philosophy was well summarized by the maxims inscribed
on the wall of the Temple of Apollo "Know thyself" and
“Nothing in excess.“
 Some of the prophecies lead to the destruction of some
civilizations or their salvation.
 People became dependent on the prophecies given
 CONCLUSION
 In conclusion, the Oracle of Delphi was a place where
Greeks, and non-Greeks, kings, and commoners came to
consult the oracle on private and public matters.
 Delphi was sacred to Apollo, the god of prophecy and
patron of philosophy and the arts, whose famous temple
and prophetic shrine were there.
 Delphi was considered the center of known world.
( According to Zeus)
 The oracle helped people make decisions, such as
harvesting crops and going to battle.
 The sanctuary’ had an influence on the wider Greek world.
 Discussion
 What was the Oracle of Delphi?
 Why did people go there?
 Do you believe in Prophecies?
 Why do people find the need to know their
future?
 If you went to a psychic would you believe what
they say about your future?
 Can people really predict the future?
 Do you have control over your destiny, or believe
in fate?
 Do you think that hearing prophecies can lead to
your downfall?
 Do you believe that someone who is intoxicated
(bay leaves) would be able to make a clear
prophecy of your future? Explain.