We left Meteora by mid morning and drove about four hours south to Delphi. We arrived by 2 in the afternoon and checked into our hotel. We talked with the man at reception and he advised us to have lunch, then go to the Delphi Museum, then on to the ruins, open until 8 pm. We took his advice and enjoyed Delphi with very few other people.
Delphi sits about 2100’ above sea level, on a cliff with mountains in one direction and the Sea of Corinth in the other. It is a very dramatic location. We sat on the patio of a local family’s restaurant, with that big view, while eating lunch. A breeze was blowing and it was beautiful!
Delphi is a small town and within 1000m of the entrance to Delphi Archaeology Museum. We arrived at the entrance by 4 and were glad we saw the museum first. It helped put the story of Delphi in perspective.
Delphi “also called Pytho, is famous as the ancient sanctuary that grew rich as the seat of Pythia, the oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. Ancient Greeks considered Delphi to be the center of the world, marked by the stone monument known as the omphalos or navel. Delphi occupies an impressive site on the southwestern slop of Mount Parnassus overlooking a coastal plain. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by having had a phenomenal influence in the ancient world, as evidenced by the rich monuments built there. In myths dating to the classical period of Ancient Greece (510-323 BC), Zeus determined the site of Delphi, by sending two eagles flying from the eastern and western extremities, and the path of the eagles crossed over Delphi where the omphalos was found.
Delphi served as the major site during classical times for the worship of the god Apollo. It was a post-Mycenaean settlement of the late 9th century BC. Apollo’s sacred precinct in Delphi was a Panhellenic sanctuary, where every four years, starting in 586 BC, athletes from all over the Greek world competed in Pythian Games, one of the four Panhellenic Games, precursors of the Olympics. Apollo spoke through his oracle, an older woman with a blameless life. She would speak from a tripod seat over an opening in the earth with mighty fumes rising.”
The site of Delphi was captured and recaptured over time. It suffered earthquakes, fires, and looting. The Romans were fascinated by Delphi and Emperor Hadrian visited the site twice. By the 4th century AD, Delphi had acquired the status of a city. Despite the rise of Christianity across the Roman Empire, the oracle remained a religious center through the 4th century AD. The site was abandoned in the 6th or 7th century AD. A severe earthquake in 1500 caused considerable damage. The English became interested in Delphi in the late 1700’s and Lord Byron visited in 1809. Reconstruction began in the 19th century. Most of the ruins visible today are from the 6th century BC.”
Visiting Delphi brought into perspective so many places we’ve seen over many years and over the past two weeks, that were supportive of Delphi back in the 7th-5th centuries BC, when they were erecting monuments - “treasuries” at Delphi, to honor Apollo. The cities of Argos, Nemea, Athens, Marseille, Knidos, Ephesus, and Miletus - three ruined cities in Turkey, erected beautiful and very expensive monuments at Delphi. Delphi was an extraordinary place over 2500 years ago. We couldn’t have enjoyed our visit to Delphi more!
Delphi sits about 2100’ above sea level, on a cliff with mountains in one direction and the Sea of Corinth in the other. It is a very dramatic location. We sat on the patio of a local family’s restaurant, with that big view, while eating lunch. A breeze was blowing and it was beautiful!
Delphi “also called Pytho, is famous as the ancient sanctuary that grew rich as the seat of Pythia, the oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. Ancient Greeks considered Delphi to be the center of the world, marked by the stone monument known as the omphalos or navel. Delphi occupies an impressive site on the southwestern slop of Mount Parnassus overlooking a coastal plain. It is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by having had a phenomenal influence in the ancient world, as evidenced by the rich monuments built there. In myths dating to the classical period of Ancient Greece (510-323 BC), Zeus determined the site of Delphi, by sending two eagles flying from the eastern and western extremities, and the path of the eagles crossed over Delphi where the omphalos was found.
Delphi served as the major site during classical times for the worship of the god Apollo. It was a post-Mycenaean settlement of the late 9th century BC. Apollo’s sacred precinct in Delphi was a Panhellenic sanctuary, where every four years, starting in 586 BC, athletes from all over the Greek world competed in Pythian Games, one of the four Panhellenic Games, precursors of the Olympics. Apollo spoke through his oracle, an older woman with a blameless life. She would speak from a tripod seat over an opening in the earth with mighty fumes rising.”
The site of Delphi was captured and recaptured over time. It suffered earthquakes, fires, and looting. The Romans were fascinated by Delphi and Emperor Hadrian visited the site twice. By the 4th century AD, Delphi had acquired the status of a city. Despite the rise of Christianity across the Roman Empire, the oracle remained a religious center through the 4th century AD. The site was abandoned in the 6th or 7th century AD. A severe earthquake in 1500 caused considerable damage. The English became interested in Delphi in the late 1700’s and Lord Byron visited in 1809. Reconstruction began in the 19th century. Most of the ruins visible today are from the 6th century BC.”
