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Delphi
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Unless
otherwise indicated, pictures on this page © Marco Prins and Jona
Lendering. Photos can be downloaded and used for non-commercial purposes,
but you have to acknowledge
Livius. |
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If a person were called to fix the object in the modern museum of Delphi
that best expresses the importance of the ancient sanctuary, he would,
without hesitation, name the omphalos, the navel. Long time ago,
the supreme god Zeus released two eagles at the edges
of the earth, and they met each other at Delphi (satellite
photo). The mytho-scientific experiment was commemorated by the omphalos.
This story appears to have been invented to give meaning to an already
existing monument, the significance of which was no longer understood.
Perhaps, the Delphian omphalos originally was a baitylos,
a 'house of god', as they were well-known in the ancient Near East. |
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The Greeks always remembered that Delphi -this picture shows the main
temple- had been an important oracle even in an age when they had not yet
venerated Apollo. The oldest name of the site, the Greeks said, was Pytho,
after a dragon that Apollo had killed. The priestess, called pythia,
sat on a tripod in the vapors of the decomposing cadaver, got into a trance,
and uttered strange sounds, which a priest explained to those who had asked
for a prophecy. In reality, there is a fault and the prophetess was sitting
in a vapor of methane. |
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Delphi was not the only oracle in the Greek world, but its central
position guaranteed that the priesthood was well-informed. It became one
of most important sanctuaries and played a decisive role during the age
of colonization. In the sixth century BCE, the oracle was at the height
of its influence.
The museum of Delphi has many statues and art objects from this period,
like these two young men, Cleobis and Biton. According to
Herodotus
of Halicarnassus, they were the sons of a priestess of Hera in Argos,
and pulled her chariot when the oxen were still in the field. After this
act of pious behavior, their mother asked the goddess for a reward, which
was granted. The two tired boys fell asleep and never woke up again. |
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During the early fifth century, the oracle more or less sided with
the Persian invaders of Greece. It is likely that the Persians regarded
Apollo as alter ego of their own god Ahuramazda;
in any case, they often sacrificed to Apollo. It is likely that the splendid
gifts that the Persians had offered to the Delian Apollo convinced the
authorities of Delphi to collaborate. When the Greeks had defeated the
Persian invader, they constructed their victory monument -this picture
shows its base- in front of the temple of Apollo, as if to cock a snook
at the god. |
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On top of the base was a column that consisted of three intertwined
serpents, which carried a tripod. It was brought to Constantinople by the
Roman emperor Constantine
I the Great. This snakehead is now in the Archaeological Museum
of Istanbul. |
Photo Ab Langereis (©*)
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Although it had backed the wrong horse, the oracle of Delphi remained
important. This is one of the many treasuries in the sacred domain: in
this little, temple-shaped house, the Athenians stored the presents they
had given to the god. Many cities had similar treasuries.
In the fourth century, king Philip
II of Macedonia
played the religious card for his own purposes. The Phocians, who lived
near Delphi, had been attacked by the Thebans, and had seized the gold
and silver from the oracle to hire mercenaries. Stating that he was fighting
to vindicate the honor of Apollo, Philip invaded Phocis in 347/346 and
subdued Central Greece. |
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By now, Delphi had lost much of its importance (and wealth). It still
existed as a cultural and religious center, but never regained its political
power again, although it remained important as a center of "creating Greekness".
For example, Roman politicians who wanted to show that they were civilized
people, sacrificed in Delphi - if only to win political support in the
Greek world.
When Rome ruled the world, even Delphi's religious significance went
into decline; in the Roman period, priest Plutarch
of Chaeronea (picture) wrote a treatise On the Silence of the Oracles.
This statue, found in Delphi, shows a priest of this late period. |
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