Delphi: Center of the World

Traveling Classroom^™

The Delphi bus leaves Athens at 10:30, so we must allow time to prepare a bag lunch, hike to the Faliro Station, ride the train to the center of Athens, and then find the bus station. Nikos says we must get off at Attiki Station and walk up Liasson to the bus station. This seems fairly straightforward. A man at Attiki points to the bridge that crosses the tracks next to the station; Liasson is the first major street on the other side. We thank him and are on our way. We stop a few times to ask directions, mainly to reassure ourselves that we are on the right track. The kiosk vendors always seem to have the answers, and most of them speak some English.

Finally we arrive at the correct address, but there is no bus station ... only an appliance store. The store keeper is moving some of his wares onto the sidewalk, so we ask him where to find the "stassis leoforiou." He points to the alley next to his store. Turning the corner we see the station in the center of a large concrete plaza. It looks like a circa 1955 Greyhound station with a covered area for the buses. Inside the station there is a waiting area with vending machines at the entrance and a long ticket counter to one side.

We find the ticket line for the Delphi bus, but there seems to be a problem. Several people at the front of the line are arguing with a man behind the counter. We hear some people discussing the situation in English. It seems that the Delphi bus is sold out, and there are many others trying to buy tickets to Delphi. A Greek man, accompanied by several tourists, is trying to get the company to add another bus to the run. While waiting for the company's decision we meet Warwick and Lee, a couple from Australia. They tell us what they know and we strike up a conversation. After a short wait the man behind the ticket counter announces that an extra bus has been added to the schedule ... and it will be leaving almost immediately. We buy our tickets and follow everyone else to the boarding area. After climbing onto the bus and seating ourselves, we discover that the tickets have seat numbers. Almost everyone on the bus has to get up and find their correct seats.

Delphi is 150 km northwest of Athens and the ride is about three hours. But the bus is comfortable, so we relax and enjoy the scenery. It takes a while to get out of central Athens. We ride through the crowded urban areas and into the suburbs. The apartment complexes are farther apart and there are more green spaces between buildings. We pass through suburban areas where the houses have yards. The farther we get from Athens, the larger the yards become. Finally we are outside the metropolitan area, traveling northward on Highway 3. The countryside is a patchwork of cultivated fields interspersed with rocky, barren hills. There are a few trees scattered around, but not much vegetation except where farmers are irrigating. I imagine that it is quite dusty and dry when the weather turns hot.
As we pass the city of Thiva we turn westward towards the mountains. Climbing into the hills now, we can see a few villages and farms in the distance. Eventually we reach Livadia, a small city where the bus stops to take on new passengers and drop off those who have reached home. When the bus pulls out of Livadia we turn due west on Highway 48 and climb into mountainous terrain. The road is now curving through narrow passes and the bus labors up steeper grades. There is snow on some of the mountain peaks in the distance and we see cars with ski racks coming down.

The bus makes one rest stop at a small cantina in the middle of nowhere. Everyone gets a chance to walk around, buy snacks and soft drinks, and marvel at the severe topography. Then it's back on the bus to continue our journey upward. In the village of Arahova we stop briefly to drop off two teenagers. It is a marvelous place, and I wish that we could stay to look around, because all the stores and roadside stands display beautiful woven rugs and other textiles. All of the ancient stone buildings of the village are hung with colorful fabrics. Being a weaver myself, I would love to talk with the local artisans and see their weavings, but the bus driver has a schedule to keep.

We continue to climb. Mountain cliffs rise steeply on the right and to our left there is a deep gorge spread with large silver-green olive groves but little else, not even farm houses. We round the flank of a mountain and see that we have reached our destination. Below us on the left are temple columns and a partial pediment, together with foundations of a few other buildings. I assumed there would be more. As we continue around the curve, however, we see the sanctuary itself on the slopes of a high mountain terrace dwarfed by the summits of Parnassos and the formidable cliffs of the Phaidriades. It's easy to see why ancient Greeks believed this place to be sacred.

I want to stop now and start exploring, but our bus continues past a number of tour buses on the side of the road and into the village of Delphi. The village street seems barely wide enough for the bus to squeak through. Fortunately it is a one way street. At the other side of town, only a few hundred meters, we reach the small bus station. When we get off the bus, the first priority is to buy return tickets. It's a first-come-first-served arrangement, and we don't want to be caught without a ticket when the last bus leaves for Athens. We wait for our new Australian friends to buy a take-away lunch and then start through the village toward the ruins. It isn't a long walk and there is a fantastic view into the gorge of the Pleistos and across to Mt. Kirphys.

On the map it is easy to see that the gorge below us continues down between the mountains to the plain of Amphissa and the port of Itea. It is only about 10 km from here to a dock where a sailing ship could be waiting to take us across the Corinthian Gulf to Korinthos, or through the canal to Athens. This was the route by which many people came to Delphi in ancient times. It makes much more sense than a trek through mountain passes, although these were used by some people. Today we travel 150 km in three hours on a paved road. How long do you think such a trip would have taken on foot or horseback?

About five thousand years ago, there were people living on the shores of the sea of ancient Kirrha (now called the Gulf of Itea). Later generations moved inland to the gorge below us, and then to higher and higher ground. The high terrace where Delphi is built became known as a sacred place from very early times. What confirmed its exalted status was the discovery of a rock chasm which exuded strange vapors that reduced any person to frenzied, incoherent mutterings. The ravings of those who breathed the fumes were thought to be messages from the gods.

In Mycenean times, from at least 1400 BCE, the site became established as a sanctuary of Gaia, the earth goddess who gave oracles through a prophetess. Other gods worshipped here included Poseidon and Dionysus, and several cults focused their attention on sacred rocks and mythical heroes. However, the ancient site was destroyed by a rock fall around the end of the Bronze Age. Looking up at the precipitous cliffs surrounding this terrace, it is easy to understand how such a disaster might occur. In fact, there are several places where the rock walls are cleverly reinforced by modern steel work.

The first dieties of Delphi were later displaced by the god Apollo. There are several stories about how this came about. According to mythology, Apollo killed Pytho, the serpent son of Gaia who guarded the prophetic spring of Kassotis. In one version of the myth, Apollo was a baby at the time and his mother Leto held him in her arms as he shot the arrow that felled Pytho. Apollo felt guilty about killing the serpent, so he built a temple at the site and installed his own oracle in the shrine of Gaia. In honor of the slain Pytho, Apollo gave the name "Pythia" to his prophetess the Oracle of Delphi. Some said the Pythia sat above the sacred chasm until the vapors caused delirium. Other recorded that she chewed on laurel leaves until intoxicated. After achieving this state, whatever she said was translated by priests as messages from Apollo.

The first priests of the cult of Apollo were sailors from Crete. One legend has it that they were led to this place by Apollo disguised as a dolphin, hence the name Delphi. When the sailors asked Apollo how they could earn a living on this mountainous terrace, the god replied that they would live effortlessly from the offerings of worshippers. That part of the myth was certainly true in the real world. For a thousand years a steady stream of pilgrims climbed the dangerous mountain paths to seek divine direction in matters of war, worship, love or business.

I think of these things as we hike towards the sanctuary of Delphi. Even though the ancient Greek religion is now only a source of stories, it makes me wonder what real events might have been the basis for myths that have survived for thousands of years. And as I walk under the warm mid-day sun, I remember that it is Apollo's chariot which moves the sun across the sky.

We enter the sanctuary at the southeast corner, where the Sacred Way begins. There is a tiled square and Ionic stoa just outside the main entrance. This the Roman Agora, where visitors and worshippers could stop to purchase small offerings to Apollo from merchants in their shops. I can see plinths and bases which once supported statues of Roman emperors, and behind them some of the shops have been partly restored. When I see these shops I think of the many small shops we passed in the town of Delphi, where merchants sell small figures, vases and other items – probably similar to the offerings sold here at the Agora.

As we walk uphill along the Sacred Way we pass many bases and niches where wonderful statues and monuments were once displayed. We stop and settle on a low stone wall to eat our lunch. On the other side of the wall is a roped-off area filled with parts of marble buildings. There are columns, parts of statuary, pavers and carved blocks with inscriptions in ancient Greek. Each piece has a number. It appears to be a storage yard for archeologists who are reconstructing and restoring the various monuments in the sanctuary. That task must be like trying to assemble a giant three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle with some of the pieces missing. It is even more amazing to think that most of the marble used at Delphi was mined on islands in the Aegean Sea, shipped into ancient Athens and then on to the port of Itea, and brought in carts through the gorge and up steep mountain trails to this place.

After eating we continue up the Sacred Way towards the Temple of Apollo. On either side of this broad stone path are the foundations of buildings and broken marble pillars which once supported statues presented by kingdoms and cities in honor of Apollo. The first reconstructed building we see is the treasury of the Athenians. This treasury, like other treasury buildings along the Sacred Way, was used to house statues, religious implements and the money and other valuables used to pay for the services of the Pythia and the priests of Delphi. It is built in the Doric style using marble from the island of Paros. It looks very much like a temple, with sculpted metopes showing the deeds of heroes, but it is relatively small – less than ten meters long and about six and a half meters wide. It is set on a large triangular base, where statues were once mounted and Persian weapons were displayed to memorialize the Athenian victory at Marathon.

Next to the treasury are the ruins of other treasuries, earlier temples and the Bouleutrion, the building where the Delphi city council met to make decisions. Above these are ruins of even greater antiquity and the Spring of Gaia, proprietor of the sanctuary before Apollo. Nearby is the Rock of Sibyl, where the original prophetess sat to give oracles. Several meters north is the rock of Leto, where Apollo's mother held him up while he loosed the arrow that killed Pytho. There is almost too much history and mythology for a person to absorb in such a short distance.

Continuing along the Sacred Way and exploring the ruins of other treasury buildings and monuments, I try to imagine what it was like when the sanctuary was new and gleaming white under the hot sun. In my mind I see a marvelous city of marble buildings with red tiled roofs, beautiful sculptures and walks filled with people awaiting their turn to meet the Pythia. For many centuries, this was considered to be the actual center of the world. In a very real cultural sense, it was the center of the ancient world. Travelers, traders, worshipers, warriors and kings all came to Delphi to catch a glimpse of the future or to seek a solution to some problem.

Delphi became wealthy telling the fortunes of rich and powerful people. The influence of the Delphic Oracle spread abroad with the age of Classical colonization, reaching a peak in the sixth century BCE, when Delphi attracted powerful benefactors such as King Croesus of Lydia and Amasis, king of Egypt. It is said that King Midas came to visit the Pythia, but we don't know if she gave him any advice about the dangers of greed. What do you think?

We don't know if the Pythia could actually predict the future. But that is not important, because everyone believed she could. Nations would not launch wars, initiate building projects or start colonization programs without first consulting the Oracle of Delphi. And the priests of Delphi were careful to make the "prophesies" very ambiguous, so that they might be interpreted in various ways (and not be proved false). The most famous of these cryptic oracles was given to King Croesus, who asked if he would defeat the Persian army. The reply was "If Croesus crosses the Halys, a great power will be destroyed." Croesus thought this meant he would win the war. However, when he crossed the River Halys into Persia his great army was annihilated. Once again, the Oracle of Delphi was right.
Passing the ruins of the Stoa of the Athenians and the remains of the treasuries of Corinth, Cyrene and Brasidas, we come at last to the square in front of the Temple of Apollo. A huge golden statue of Apollo once stood here, as well as the gold-plated chariot of Rhodes and the famous golden tripod of Plataia, and many other beautiful monuments. All are gone now. Some are on display in museums but most were carried off during wars and melted down for their metals or destroyed for other reasons. Only the marble bases remain.

The temple itself is only partially restored, but it is very impressive and the view from this high place is incredible. We may not enter the temple but are able to walk completely around it. There have been many versions of the temple at this site. Over the centuries these earlier versions were destroyed by war, fire, earthquake and other causes. The remains that we see here are of the large rectangular temple completed about 330 BCE. Designed by Spintharos of Corinth, it had six columns at the ends and fifteen along each side. Some of the columns are now partially restored and returned to the site. As we walk around the temple, we can see the foundation of the inner walls and the interior rooms.

Walking along the north side of the temple, we come to the remains of the great Stoa of the Aitolians, where offerings were placed. In Roman times part of this stoa was adapted for baths. To our right is a niche where the Krateros offering once stood. The historian Plutarch described the offering as a bronze sculptural grouping which depicted a well-known story from the march of Alexander into Asia (in which general Krateros saved Alexander’s life during a lion hunt).

Above the niche, farther up the terrace, is the marvelous theater of Delphi. Once there were stairs from here to the theater, but these no longer exist. Now we must follow the path around another treasury foundation and up the hill. When we walk onto the stage of the amphitheater, we see row upon row of stone seating in very good condition. The theater was expanded over the centuries. By the second century BCE it seated 5000 people for plays, poetry and music. I do a few dance steps for the empty seats and try to imagine what the audience would have thought of a Rodgers and Hammerstein production. At the top of the theater we look down to the stage and far beyond. There is a terrific view of the Temple of Apollo, the entire sanctuary and the gorge below.

Now we continue our hike towards the highest part of the sanctuary, the stadium. The path is steep and there are no monuments to see as we climb. Finally, a little out of breath, we reach the stadium itself. We enter at one corner near large pedestals with niches where statues once stood. Across the athletic field are rows of stone bleachers built up the hillside, and a small forest above. On our side of the field it appears that there was additional seating, but this section has not yet been rebuilt. The two long sides of the stadium are united by curved seating areas. This arena held more than 7000 spectators.

The stadium was built to host the athletic contests of the Pythian Games. The Games originally took place every eight years and consisted of musical contests in praise of Apollo. After a war over Delphic profits, the new management added athletic contests and held the event every four years at the end of August. The contests lasted eight days and included running, jumping, throwing the discus and javelin, wrestling, boxing, and even chariot races. It was very much like the Olympic Games, which we see every four years. People came from all over the civilized world to attend and to cheer for their favorite athletes..

Where we are standing there is a row of marble stabs that form the starting line for the races. In each slab two grooves are carved for the feet of the runners (like modern starting blocks). Duane, who was on the track team in high school and college, crouches down in the starting position and places his toes in the grooves. He announces they are a perfect fit for a runner. Next to each starting position is a hole for a post which marks the running lanes.

The field is about 178 meters long, or one stade (which is where we get the name "stadium"). We walk to the end of the stadium, where there is a marble finish line, and then up the stairs into the bleachers. At the top of the stairs is a small arch which once held a fountain where the audience and thirsty athletes could drink. It is dry now, but the ancient piping that carried water from a mountain spring is still in place. We walk to a place where there is a single row of comfortable benches with curved backs. This is where the judges of the Pythian Games were seated. Sitting here I can almost see the athletes racing to the finish line, and hear the crowd cheering.

After exploring the stadium, we descend eastward through the sanctuary towards the Spring of Kastalia, where the Pythia was said to wash and purify herself before entering into a "trance" and contact the god Apollo. The water flows from the side of a cliff where niches have been carved for statuary and offerings, then through various channels and pools, emptying into a stream that flows down into the gorge.

Below the spring is the Gymnasium where athletes trained and studied. Here are the remains of buildings, baths, covered exercise areas and racing tracks where young men and warriors could prepare themselves for the Pythian Games. According to mythology, the gymnasium was built at the site where Odysseus was gored in the leg by a boar while hunting. It was this old wound that enabled his servant, Eurykleia, to recognize Odysseus when he returned to Ithaca to reclaim his throne after years of wandering. The young athletes who trained here must have felt a sense of awe to think that the greatest of Greek heroes had been at this place.

We continue down to the road to the area called marmaria (the Marbles) because of the ancient marble remains. Visitors often stopped here before going to the Temple of Apollo, and so it became known as the sanctuary of Athena "Pronaia" (before the temple). We enter by way of a winding dirt path that drops steeply from the road. This small terrace contains the remains of several temples, treasuries, and a house for the priests who guarded the area. It is a much older sanctuary than the great Apollo sanctuary we have just visited. The earliest buildings were erected during the Mycenaean period for a female deity predating Athena. It was dedicated to Gaia or some other Earth goddess long before the priests of Apollo came.

One of the most ancient temples to Athena was built here around 650 BCE. Some of its capitals, of the earliest known Doric architecture, and parts of its columns were discovered in the foundations of another temple built on top of it. The ruins of a larger temple to Athena lay at the other end of the terrace. The most interesting building here, and one which remains a mystery, is the Tholos. It is a round building constructed at the end of the fourth century BCE. The building may have been designed by Theodore of Phocaia, which makes sense, because the ancient Greeks did not design round buildings.

It isn't very large, and only three marble Doric columns have been partially restored, but we can see that there were twenty columns supporting the roof and entablature decorated with sculptured reliefs. Some of the carved decoration remains in the marble at the base of the temple. Other pieces and blocks are arranged around the building as if to suggest that further restoration will be happening in the future. The purpose of the Tholos is unknown, but it has been suggested that it was for worship of one of the local goddesses.

The more I walk around, the more questions I have about this place and the people who came here. Myths can give us some ideas, and perhaps other histories can fill in the blanks. We prepare to leave and wonder how magnificent it must have been, with peoples coming from all around the Mediterranean world. This area was rich in color, smell, sounds from other lands. All of it was here while Delphi was the center of the world!

After our exploration of the ancient sanctuaries it is getting late, so we walk back to the town of Delphi, to the paved streets, open shops, food vendors, and buses. We enjoy a cold drink at a roadside caf� and wait for our bus to arrive. We are able to sit near Lee and Warwick on the return trip. Many on the bus must have walked as much as we did, because everyone is very quiet. At a rest stop about halfway through the journey, Duane drinks strong Greek coffee to stay alert. The sun is going down as we near Athens. Twilight is short and darkness falls quickly..

We arrive at the bus station at around 9:30. Our Australian friends walk with us to the electric train. They will travel to Syntagma Square, where they are staying. We need to go further. By the time we get to Attiki Station, it is decided that they should visit Mikrolimano and have dinner with us tomorrow.

Duane and I catch the train to Faliro, and then walk our now-familiar path to Zoe Zoe and to bed. Tomorrow is another big day.

Questions:

Who and/or what was the oracle? Why was the oracle’s message important?

What influence did the Oracle of Delphi have on trade?

Who came to visit? Why?

Why were there treasuries from different cities and nations in Delphi?

Why did Delphi become the center of the world?  It is so far from many places.

In what period of time was Delphi important?

Can you find any other myths about Delphi?

To find more information about Delphi and the many characters in Greeks mythology, go to Links in the Learning Resources section.