Delphi was the most important center for divination and the worship of Apollo in ancient Greece. The city of Delphi had been in existence for centuries when, in the seventh century BCE, it became the capital of the association of Greek states known as the Amphictyony. In the middle of the century, a temple to Apollo was erected at Delphi to celebrate the god’s victory over a large snake, the python. At the end of the century, the Amphictyony engaged in a war against a neighboring city state and, following victory, dedicated the newly acquired territory to Apollo. Soon afterward, Delphi became the center of the Pythian (Apollonian) festival, celebrated every four years.
Over the years, as the sanctuary grew in importance and fame, it was a target for hostile neighbors and invading armies. It was periodically destroyed or plundered, but it continued to function. Oversight of the complex of temples that arose at Delphi was in the hands of the priestess of Apollo, the Pythia, who offered oracles (and who was also known as “the oracle”). Once a year she sat on a chair in the temple of Apollo adjacent to an open earth fissure from which fumes emerged. Some believe the fumes had an intoxicating property, allowing the priestess to enter an altered state of consciousness from which the oracles were pronounced. Originally, the priestess operated as an oracle once a year, but over a period of time she acceded to many requests and would perform on demand. During much of the oracle’s existence, it was believed that in the fall Apollo departed the site for his winter quarters on Delos Island. The oracle of Apollo would reside in Delphi half the year and in Delos the other half.
Those requesting an oracle would first enact a ritual that included walking from the nearby community of Kirra (now known as Itea). Along the way they would pay a fee, take a ritual bath, and sacrifice an animal (usually a goat whose entrails would become an object of divination by the local priests). The visit culminated in their posing their question. The answer to the question would often be delivered in cryptic words that would require further interpretation by the priests.
Politicians, generals, and rulers consulted the oracle, often to obtain blessing on a decision that had already been made. Observers knowledgeable of Delphi were aware of the sensitive nature of any response to people in power and of the ambiguity that usually characterized the oracle’s response, which could be interpreted in many possible ways.
The most famous of the priestess’s pronouncements was given to King Croesus of Lydia (r. 560–546 BCE), who inquired about an upcoming battle. The oracle noted that the king would cross the river Halys and destroy a great army. He believed that victory was his, but when he lost the battle, those at Delphi pointed out that he had, in fact, destroyed a great army—his own.
The oracle remained active until the emergence of the Emperor Constantine (r. 306–337 CE). His rule launched Delphi’s decline, which culminated in the prohibition of the worship of Apollo at Delphi and ordered the discontinuance of the Pythian games.
Today, tourists may visit Delphi, located on the side of Mount Parnassus across the Gulf of Corinth, north of the city of Corinth. Here, the ruins of a large complex of temples and related structures for the Pythian festival can be seen. After many years of abandonment, modern Neopagans have attempted to re-sacralize Delphi, but they have encountered a major problem in that Pagan worship is not allowed in Greece, where a strong establishment of the Orthodox Church exists. Several informal groups who wish to see a modern inauguration of the worship of the ancient Greek deities have begun a campaign to decriminalize such worship.
an ancient Greek city situated at the foot of Mount Parnassus in southwestern Phocis. A major religious center with its temple and oracle of the god Apollo.
During the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., Delphi acquired the role of an all-Greek sanctuary. Beginning in the sixth century B.C., the all-Greek Pythian Games took place in the city, during which a sacred truce was observed throughout Greece. Pilgrims and traders flocked to Delphi, exchanging goods and news. Numerous gifts dedicated to Apollo accumulated at Delphi as well as enormous treasuries, which were under the protection of the Delphic Amphictyony, because of which the city became a major center for credit and loan transactions. Delphi’s role began to weaken at the end of the fifth century B.C. During the 80’s B.C., Delphi was plundered by the Thracians and other tribes. At the end of the first century A.D. the temple at Delphi was restored. The oracle’s activity revived somewhat during the second century A.D. (the last known appeals to the oracle date back to the third century). Officially the temple was closed down by the Roman emperor Theodosius I around 390. Excavations at Delphi have been under way since 1892. At present Delphi is a small village.
The monuments of Delphi fuse harmoniously with the mountainous terrain. Located in the Sanctuary of Apollo are the Temple of Apollo (sixth century B.C.), reconstructed by the architects Chendor and Agathon in the fourth century B.C.; treasuries dating from the sixth to the beginning of the fourth century B.C., including the Siphnian Treasury (c. 525 B.C.) and the Treasury of the Athenians (beginning of the fifth century B.C.), both famous for their sculptural decorations; the Athenian Stoa (475 B.C.); the foundations of the Cnidean Lesche (second quarter of the fifth century B.C.); and a theater dating from the second century B.C. In the so-called Marmaria (sanctuary of Athena) are the foundations of the old (end of the seventh century B.C.) and the new (end of the sixth century B.C.) temples of Athena Pronaia and the Tholos, dating from the beginning of the fourth century B.C. and designed by Theodorus of Phocis. Located outside the sanctuaries are a stadium (sixth century B.C.), a gymnasium (sixth-fifth centuries B.C.), and the pool of the Castalian Spring (dating from Roman times). There is also an archaeological museum at Delphi.