A Visit to Delphi / Pythia, Greece
and an Athens Night Walk
Sep, 2018
Delphi (aka Pythia) and the Oracles, at the Center of the Greek World
About Delphi which is also known as Pythia:
A snake called Pythos (Python) was killed by Apollo there.
A Temple to Apollo was created there (in appreciation).
The lead Oracle was called Pythias.
The location was also called Pythia (place of the python).
Pythia was at the center of the known Greek world.
A rock from Zeus, called 'Omphalos' (Navel), is at the center of Delphi.
Above Left: Where is Delphi in relation to today's Greece (as well as its relation to Athens and Istanbul, we were to visit both cities on this exploration trip).
Above Right: This is a good map for an overview of everything at Delphi (from www.planetware.com). We visited the main site of Delphi (called Sacred Precinct on the map, above center), the Amphitheater (in the Sacred Precinct), the Stadium (top left), the Museum (left center), and the Temple of Athena (bottom right). The Roman Agora is located just before the entrance to the Sacred Precinct (Precinct's bottom right).
Above: This is a particularly good map of the Sacred Precinct (from www.sketchite.com). The one question that everyone wants answered is 'Where were the Oracles'? The Oracles met with patrons in the Temple of Apollo about where the letter 'T' is on the map (according to our guide, the statue of Apollo was in the center of the big bay on the other side of Temple, the map's presentation is reversed).
Above Left: At the Gate and a sighting of columns from the Temple to Apollo.
Above Right: Zoom in on the Temple to Apollo from the gate.
Above Left: Our guide, an archeologist, shows us a map of how the Greeks saw themselves as at the center of the world.
Most guides are archeologists but they can earn a better living as a guide, their background makes them more sensitive about preserving and safe-guarding antiquities as well as quite knowledgeable. Later, our guide will give a Greek couple a warning and a scolding for crossing a barrier line just for a picture that they could have obtained 1 meter away and have been in a safe zone.
Above Right: How the Greeks saw themselves as at the center of the world and Delphi was at the center of the Greek World.
The Roman Agora
Above: The Roman Agora.
Above: Anytime that one observes Bricks in Ancient Greece (in Roman Empire areas), it usually indicates that the Romans were there - Bricks became the 'Tell' for the Byzantine era (with Constantinople as the Capitol). It seems that the Romans first used Bricks at around year 0 AD/CE (Common Era).
Above: The Romans built within Delphi after their occupation of Greece (meaning that the Sacred Precinct already existed when the Romans arrived), this is called the Roman Agora area (meeting place).
Epegono Area
Above: Epegono Area.
Treasury of Thebans
Above: Treasury of Thebans area.
Above: Tributes written in stone.
The Omphalos
Above: This rock, called the "Omphalos" is the the Navel of Greece, the original was given to the Greeks by Zeus and it is the marker for the Center of Delphi (which made it the center of the Greek World). Older versions are in the Athens National Museum as well as in the Delphi Museum.
The Navel does not seem to be on any Site Maps of Delphi, this location is just before the Treasury of Athens when walking up the Sacred Way.
"An omphalos is a religious stone artifact, or baetylus. In Ancient Greek, the word ὀμφᾰλός (omphalós) means "navel". In Greek lore, Zeus sent two eagles across the world to meet at its center, the "navel" of the world. Among the Ancient Greeks, it was a widespread belief that Delphi was the center of the world. According to the myths regarding the founding of the Delphic Oracle, Zeus, in his attempt to locate the center of the earth, launched two eagles from the two ends of the world, and the eagles, starting simultaneously and flying at equal speed, crossed their paths above the area of Delphi, and so was the place where Zeus placed the stone." - Wikipedia
The Treasury of Athens
Above: Back and Front of the remaining Treasury of Athens. Originally for donations or tributes, but eventually the Treasury took on more banking type characteristics (money/valuables storage, money management for the site's needs, loans ...).
Above: Once upon a time.
Above Left: About the Treasury.
Above Right: About the lower portion of Delphi (Pronounced Del-Fee).
Stoa of the Athenian
Above: The Stoa of the Athenians (#11 on map, Stoa means 'Portico or Roofed Colonnade). The Temple to Apollo is above.
Above Left: Back view, Athens Treasury on the far left.
Above Right: Stories written into stone.
Above: Stories written into stones, the stones that support and terrace the Temple to Apollo (above).
Above: We're near the Tripod of Plataea looking at a terraced shelf just below the Temple to Apollo, it contains many structural pieces.
The Tripod of Plataea
Above Left: Structural pieces.
Above Right: The Tripod of Plataea (three snakes twisting to a point) which is also known as the Serpent Column. The Byzantine Emporer Theodosius took the original Serpent Column and placed it in the Constantinople Hippodrome. We would get to see the remains of the Serpent Column at the Hippodrome about 3 weeks later in Istanbul.
"In 479 B.C., after the battle at Plataea, the 31 Greek cities which participated at the wars against the Persians dedicated to the sanctuary of Apollo an enormous golden tripod from the tithe of the booty of the war. This important monument was famous for its base, a bronze column which consisted of the twisting bodies of three snakes, the famous "trikarenos ofis" (serpent with three heads). The Phoceans had the tripod melted down during the Third Sacred War, yet the column remained in place until 330 A.D., when Constantine the Great had it transferred to Constantinople, where it stands to this day. A bronze copy of the column was placed in its initial spot in 2015." - http://www.delphi.diadrasis.net.
Above In the area of the Pillars of Pruslas II.
The Pillars of Pruslas II
Above: Two views of the remnants of the Pillars of Pruslas II.
Above Left: The pedestal for which a statue of Pruslas II was mounted on a horse (it's a war battle memorial) and a Pillar remnant is on the right just above the Bull. [No Explanation of the Bull]
Above Right: Beautiful Bull [just below one of the Pillar remnant].
Above: There was a Spring (it's still there) just uphill from the Pillars of Pruslas II monument.
The Alter of Apollo
Above Left: Greek writing in the corner stone.
Above Right: The Alter of Apollo (and where our Guide gave 'What For' to a Greek couple standing on the Alter for pictures).
The Temple of Apollo
Above: About the Temple to Apollo.
Above: The Temple to Apollo.
Above: Dennis and Terry Struck at the Temple of Apollo; Delphi/Pythia, Greece; 18 September 2018.
Above Left: Temple of Apollo’s Ramp (east side).
Above Right: The far end (west end) of the Temple of Apollo was where the Oracle(s) met with patrons to answer questions. Their answers were, famously, often in the form of a riddle.
The Amphitheater of Delphi
Above: A composite photo of the Amphitheater of Delphi.
Above: The Amphitheater of Delphi.
Above Left: Cat on mouse patrol.
Above Right: Amphitheater, from above.
Above: The Amphitheater and Temple of Apollo, above from near the Stadium.
The Stadium
Above Left: To the Stadium.
Above Right: A sneak peek of the Stadium through the stone gap.
Above: Wide-Angle view of the Stadium of Delphi.
Above: About the Stadium.
The Museum of Delphi
Above Left: We had a snack and a break in the Museum Café.
Above Right: Not Egyptian, from Greek Lore, it is the Sphinx of Naxos from the Siphnian Treasury (4-5c BC).
Above Left: At first, I thought Egyptian, but it is Cleobis and Biton, which were produced at Argos between 610 and 580 BC.
Above Right: The exterior cornices/crowns were decorated with color from a wax & pigment mixture.
Above Left: Delphi was known to have a Golden Bull (apparently in leaf/foil). These fragments were discovered on the site.
Above Right: Weaponry, discovered on the site.
Above: Chryselephantine Statues which probably represent the Apollonian triad, namely Apollo, Artemis and their mother, Leto.
Above Left: Statue of Agias of Pharsala.
Above Right: Dancers of Delphi.
Above Left: Perhaps the original Omphalos.
Above Right: Pedestal for the Dancers of Delphi.
Above Left: Antinous, Parian marble, time of Hadrian (Roman). Also pictured was our Guide (Georgios), just a wonderful person.
Above Right: Charioteer of Delphi.
The Sanctuary of Athena
Above: The Temple to Athena.
The Mountain Village of Delphi, Greece
Above: The mountain village of Delphi.
Pláka Athens at Night
Above: Our favorite restaurant, we ate inside because the smokers had to be outside.
Above Left: Sunset.
Above Right: Acropolis (above the people, a Citadel).
