October 12, 2017 Day 11 Delphi
Another early (for retirees) morning, albeit only 15 minutes
earlier to accommodate the long drive to Delphi. The breakfast again was
terrific as I sampled items I had to pass on the prior morning.
Delphi is about 180 km northwest of Athens and is perched
like an eagle’s nest on a cliff that overlooks a valley of cypress and olive trees
which flows into the coast of the Gulf of Corinth. It was about a 2-hour drive
along toll roads and winding mountain roads.
It seems to be that the whole Delphi experience was a giant
scam that all willingly participated in. Pilgrims came in droves to seek advice
and receive prophecies from the oracle who was believed to speak for Apollo. In
the flesh, the oracle was a woman from a local town who sat in a tripod in the
Temple of Apollo over a chasm that emitted intoxicating vapors. The oracle (woman)
inhaled the vapors and, went into a trance and when asked questions, responded with
answers that were so unintelligible they had to be translated into verse by priest.
Those answers were usually terminally vague and could be interpreted in many
ways.
For this the pilgrims paid large sums. Indeed, many of the
larger cities maintained small buildings, treasuries, at the site in which financial
and other valuable offerings to the Delphi were stored. If you did not like the
response you could pay more and get a modified response. Alternatively, as
Alexander did, you could take matters into your own hands. When Alexander the Great (although he was not
Great yet) asked for a prophecy that he would conquer the ancient world, he
received the usual vague response. Enraged, he dragged the woman out of the
chamber by her hair until she screamed, “Let me go, you are unbeatable”. Armed
with his answer he went on to conquer a good chunk of the world.
The Delphi got into the oracle business around 800 BC. It
reached its peak between the 6 and 4th centuries when it was protected by the
Amphictyonic League, a federation of 12 states. As a mark of its power and
financial acumen, it conquered the port city through which most of the pilgrims
arrived to gain the revenue from these pilgrims.
The sanctuary survived fire, earthquake and conquest and
plunder by the Romans. But subsequent Roman emperors were fascinated by the
oracle’s reputation and kept it going into the second century AD. The Byzantine
Emperor Theodosius abolished it in the 4th century and by the 7th
century it was covered over by a small village. The writings of the 2d century
Athenian historian Pausanias gives us much of what we know today about Delphi.
Before walking through the main entrance, we passed several “treasuries”
of city states where the offerings were stored showing their gratitude to
Apollo. There were more of these throughout the site. We began our walk on the winding
Sacred Way passing the Voltive Offering of Lacedaemon which commemorated a
battle victory. The restored Athenian Treasury was impressive.
We then came to the Temple of Apollo, site of the oracle. A
big building with a statute of Apollo and an eternal flame, only the floor and
6 columns currently remain. Above the Temple is a well preserved 4th
century theatre. There were good views
of the valley and the Gulf from here. Continuing up on the winding path we made
it to the Stadium, supposedly the best preserved in Greece. The track is a
narrow oval and most of the races were run back and forth rather than around
the oval.
After walking back down we toured the Delphi Museum. Its
contents reflected the considerable treasure trove that the oracle collected
for its prophesies. The life-sized Bronze Charioteer was impressive. We then
had a very pleasant lunch of traditional Greek food in Delphi Town in a
restaurant with a terrific view of the valley. Complimentary dessert was
provided. On the way back, we stopped at the Moni Osios Loukas Monastery. The complex has two churches and lots of
mosaics and frescos. There is a great view from the grassy terrace and a coffee
shop for those who cannot be long separated for sweets or an espresso machine.
The drive back seemed longer, and we did not return to the
hotel until after 7.
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| Stadium |
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| Theatre |
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| Athens Treasury |
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