Delphi Description


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“... Now the serene sense is supping with the Gods”

This was the sense of the poet Angelos Sikelianos who between 1927 and 1930 revived the Delphic Festival in Delphi, the centre of the Earth, wishing to “instill the forgotten Delphic watchword in all human souls”.

Delphi is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and it was a major site for the worship of the god Apollo. His sacred precinct in Delphi was a Pan-Hellenic sanctuary, where every four years athletes from all over the Greek world competed in the Pythian Games.

Delphi was revered throughout the Greek world as the site of the omphalos stone, the centre of the Earth and the universe. In the inner Hestia ("hearth") of the Temple of Apollo, an eternal flame burned. After the battle of Plataea, the Greek cities extinguished their fires and brought new fire from the hearth of Greece, at Delphi; in the foundation stories of several Greek colonies, the founding colonists were first dedicated at Delphi.

The priestess of the oracle at Delphi was known as the Pythia. Apollo spoke through his oracle, who had to be an older woman of blameless life chosen from among the peasants of the area. The sibyl or prophetess took the name Pythia and sat on a tripod seat over an opening in the earth. When Apollo slew Python, its body fell into this fissure, according to legend, and fumes arose from its decomposing body. Intoxicated by the vapors, the sibyl would fall into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state she prophesied. It has been postulated that a gas came out of this opening that is known to produce violent trances, though this theory remains debatable. The oracle spoke in riddles, which were interpreted by the priests of the temple, and people consulted her on everything from important matters of public policy to personal affairs.

Modern Delphi is situated immediately west of the archaeological site and hence is a popular tourist destination. Today's residents, having superb facilities for tourists, help visitors to get to know the navel of the Earth!


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Last updated: 09/01/09.