Greece – Part I

Two hours north from Athens, on terrace of southwest slope of Mount Parnassus, lie Delphi, one of the most famous places in Ancient Greece. Now it is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today Delphi is a modern city and an archaeological site. It was the centre of the world (omphalos) for Ancient Greeks. Mythology says that king of gods Zeus sent two eagles from both sides of the world. Their paths crossed above Delphi and the centre of the world was set. Mighty sanctuary of god Apollo is now a bunch of ruins and demands a lot of imagination to imagine the look of the sanctuary at its peak. Archeological site is divided in three parts – to the Holy part, which is the location of Apollo’s sanctuary and an ancient oracle, the spring of Castalia and the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia.  You have to pay an entrance fee to see the sanctuary and the museum next to it, but you don’t have to pay if you have a PRESS card. 

 

The first sanctuary is devoted to the great mother of all Gaia and god Poseidon. Gea’s son, Python the Protector of Delphi was the dark force of underground. His home was a crack in the ground and he communicated with the world with the help of Pythian priestess. Later god Apollo killed Python. Apollo came from the island Crete in form of a dolphin (that’s the reason of the name Delphi) and Delphi became the shrine of god Apollo. People from Mycenae from 1400 BC already knew Delphi, but Delphi reached its peak in 6th century BC when the sanctuary had a big influence on Ancient Greece. They came here to talk about a lot of things, also things concerning fighting and founding colonies. Later the sanctuary became too connected with some Greek city states and lost its power and reputation. Macedonians and Romans became more powerful and the role of Delphi became unimportant with giving advice about travelling, money and marriage. In 4th century, with fall of paganism Delphi became unnecessary and gradually declined. Kastri village was founded on the ruins. In 17th century they found the ruins again and the digging started only after they moved the inhabitants.

 

The sanctuary sightseeing starts with climbing winding road, named Holy Path. It is surrounded with pedestals of mighty statues from the past, which got lost through time and many treasures (because they contained gifts for god Apollo) and were placed there by city states as memorial of victory in war and in gratitude to the sanctuary for the advice, which helped them win the battles. The path leads to the god Apollo’s temple. Many treasures are the remainder of sanctuary’s golden era in 6th century BC. The mightiest is the treasury from city of Athens, which was reconstructed in the first years of 20th century and was built after the Battle of Marathon when Athens beat the Persians in 490 BC. We can find a theater above the temple, which could welcome up to 5000 guests. From here you can find a great view and even higher stadium, which is the best preserved in Greece. Pythian games were held here, which are the ancestor of Olympic games.

 

It is simple to understand why Delphi was the centre of the world if we just take a look at the location. But there was much more than location and an occasional earthquake to confirm the godliness of this place. This was confirmed by a crack on the ground where fumes came out and intoxicated people in a way. Temple of god Apollo was built above the crack and inside it was an inner sanctuary or aditon, where the priestess Pythia sat and intoxicated uttered prophecies to people who came for advice. Her sayings were then interpreted by priests in elegant hexameters. The prophecies of Delphi’s oracle were usually right but not because Pythia’s words but because the priests were well informed about the current events and interpreted her irrational mumblings. Today only foundation of Apollo’s temple from 4th century BC are preserved and 6 reconstructed columns, which give a picture of once mighty temple that dominated the sanctuary. There’s nothing to be seen of the crack in the ground from which the oracle in Delphi developed. But that does not mean that it didn’t exist. Probably it just closed through time.

 

Delphi offer a little bit more than just the ruins of god Apollo’s sanctuary. There is a museum nearby, which can easily compete with Acropolis museum in Athens, which shows the wealth of the oracle. In the Kastalia spring the visitors of the oracle had to clean themselves, before they asked it for advice. About 800 metres from the sanctuary there is a temple of Athena Pronaia which is known for its building, named tholos from 4th century. We still don’t know what was its purpose. It is a round building with three reconstructed pillars from 1938 and is the most popular motif for photographs.

 

Because Delphi is only 2 hours away from Athens, you can visit it in a one day trip from the city. Of course you can visit it by yourself, with rented car or public transport. For everyone who want to stay on this site longer, can stay at nearby hostels in the modern town Delphi, from where you can walk to the archaeological site. And the second option for travellers is to choose the town Arachova, which is about 10 kilometres from Delphi and is the centre for winter sports in Greece because its position, about 1000 metres above the sea. It is surrounded with mountains that remind us Alps. Arachova is a picturesque mountain town with narrow and steep streets, which are climbing the Mount Parnassus.