Historical significance: Delphi owed its international prominence to the
famous oracle of the god Apollo, who foretold the future through his priestess,
known as the Pythia. She responded to the questions of visitors while in a
trance; her inarticulate cries were interpreted and written down by an official
interpreter, in earlier times in hexameter verse, then later in prose. These
oracular responses were notoriously ambiguous, and their interpretation was
often only 'deduced' after the event to which they referred. This, however, did
not deter visitors from journeying to Delphi from all over the Mediterranean.
During the course of the 8th and 7th centuries BC, the sanctuary grew in
prestige as it received splendid dedications from legendary kings such as Gyges
and Midas. Its political role expanded in the 7th century BC, when it became the
seat of the Amphictyony, and individual cities began to build along the Sacred
Way leading up to the temple - treasuries in which the cities' dedications to
Apollo were guarded, and monuments commemorating the cities' successes.
Inter-city rivalry also played out in the Pythian games at which athletes and
musicians from all over the Greek world competed. This festival, which
originally took place every eight years, was expanded after the first Sacred War
and held every four years on a scale that rivaled the Olympic games. Thus Delphi
could rightfully sustain its mythical claim of being the navel (omphalos)
of the Greek world. Modern visitors can still follow in the steps
of ancient worshippers such as the Roman emperor Hadrian, or of ancient tourists
such as the Roman writer Pausanias. Visitors to Delphi would first encounter the
sanctuary of Athena Pronaia in the East, which contained two temples, two
treasuries, and the unusual round tholos building. They would then pass a
recreational facility on the left that included a gymnasium, palaistra, running
track and swimming pool. On the right they would encounter the Castalian spring
in a cleft of the sheer rocks (known as the Phaidriades or "shining ones") that
tower over it...
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Apollo drew his bow and fired arrow after arrow into the deadly pythondragon guarding the sacred ground of Ge, the goddess of the earth. With his victory, Apollo gained the right to call the slopes of Delphi his earthly sanctuary. It is a beautiful myth. Out of it grew the story of the Oracle of Delphi, a soothsayer who inhaled the breath of Apollo. The Pythia, the priestess who sat on a tripod inhaling fumes from the bowels of the earth, went into trances and muttered incomprehensible phrases, ...Zeus devotees worship in Athens
Worshippers who believe in the 12 gods of ancient Greece have held a ceremony at the Temple of Zeus in Athens. This is a landmark event to celebrate official recognition of their religion by a court last year. The Greek Orthodox Church has said they are miserable resuscitators of a degenerate dead religion. But the ceremony went ahead, with crowds watching priests and priestesses, who said the event was a symbol of their civic rights. In 2003, white-clad worshippers performedan illicit ceremony ...Legend of Perseus
Archaeologists have discovered the place where Aeneas is believed to have first set foot in Italy. It is the closest point on the Italian peninsula to Albania and, until efforts by the coastguard some years ago, was the destination of choice for Albanians fleeing poverty for the glamour and prosperity of their wealthy neighbour. But suddenly, the little town of Castro in the province of Lecce has something much more exciting to shout about. Archaeologists at the University of Lecce have discover...Evidence of pre-Zeus deity found
Submitted by Da Verminator: Before Zeus hurled his first thunderbolt from Olympus, the pre-Greek people occupying the land presumably paid homage and offered sacrifices to their own gods and goddesses, whose nature and identities are unknown to scholars today. But archaeologists say they have now found the ashes, bones and other evidence of animal sacrifices to some pre-Zeus deity on the summit of Mount Lykaion, in the region of Greece known as Arcadia. The remains were uncovered last summer at ...Oriclae of Delphi
Most of the well-known constellations are associated with stories from classical mythology. Often the stories are intertwined, and several groups of stars enter into a single tale. One such fable, "Apollo and the Crow," features three constellations: the Crow, the Cup and the Watersnake. You can watch the story unfold on any evening in early spring.Once the crow was much different than the bird we know today. It had white, lustrous feathers; its voice was sweet and melodiou...Legend of Hercules
By
Farid Alakbarli
Legends about the Amazons - a
warlike tribe of women warriors - have existed in various cultures throughout
the world. Not many people realize, however, that Amazons are closely associated
with Azerbaijan. Yes, ancient Greeks believed that Caucasian Albania was the
native land of the Amazons. Perhaps, much of what has been written about Amazons
is only a legend; however, it is true that many Albanian women really did serve
in the armies of Caucasian Albania wh...
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Interactive Ancient
Mediterranean Copyright © 1998
Scienctists turns to Greek mythology
Zeus devotees worship in Athens
Legend of Perseus
Following in the steps of a Trojan hero
Evidence of pre-Zeus deity found
New evidence of the cult of Zeus is 3,200 years old
Legend of Hercules
Amazons - The Mythical Race of Warrior Women
