Delphi

A couple of hours north-west of Athens is Delphi, chiefly famous as the home of the Oracle of Delphi. Delphi is situated on Mt Parnassus, and was also a major site for the worship of the god Apollo. The picture above shows columns remaining from the Temple of Apollo, and gives some idea of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Ancient Greeks thought that Apollo spoke through the Oracle, and so the Oracle was consulted before any major event in order to determine whether the Gods would be favourably disposed or not. The Oracle spoke in gibberish and thus had to be interpreted by the local priests. It was felt that an offering to the Gods was required, and storehouses were erected nearby to house future offerings. One of the buildings still visible here is the Treasury of the Athenians, below.



There is also a very interesting museum at Delphi, not too far from the archaeological site. One of the most famous pieces there is "The Charioteer", pictured below. The museum has carefully arranged the recovered pieces of the work next to an artist's illustration of what the original may have looked like.



EXIF: Canon A620; full auto.

TFF