Delphi is not located in the beautiful Peloponnese, which our blog page has been presenting to the whole world. Delphi is located in Fokida and is an intrinsically linked place to all the Greek cities of the ancient world. So we travelled to the navel of the earth, to the ancient Oracle of Delphi, as well as to the mythical Corycian cave. We will find many things that will connect us with the Peloponnese, so we considered it our "obligation" to present one of the holiest places of our ancestors, Delphi.
Starting this great journey, we must stress the importance, the historicity, the antiquity, the uniqueness of this place. It is a place that was operating for at least 1,000 years. Historical oracles were given here, while some of the most important people in history came over, such as Alexander the Great, Philip II of Macedonia, the king of Thera Grinos who colonized North Africa, the poet Homer, the historian Plutarch and many others. At very critical times, kings conferred with the oracle, such as the Spartan king Leonidas before the battle of Thermopylae, but also the Athenians before the naval battle of Salamina, where General Themistocles correctly interpreted the oracle of "wooden walls", as well as infinite other events that have marked the history. Always before every important event, every Greek city and king consulted the sacred oracle.
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| Column of Ionic Order, Delphi |
Delphi maintained its important position until the end of the 4th century AD, when the operation of the oracle was finally put to an end by decree of Emperor Theodosius I. During this time the place unfortunately experienced many invasions and huge looting by Slavs, Goths, Galatians, Romans, etc. The damage was not limited there, as the area experienced also amputation and a huge amount of antiquities theft during the Turkish occupation and later on.
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| The road from the village to the archeological site |
There are two stories related to the area which are remarkable. When the Persian king Xerxes passed through Thermopylae while heading to Phocis, he sent a military corps to Delphi so as to extract treasures. When the Persians approached Delphi, two peaks from Parnassos mountain became detached and fell on them, while at the same time they were pursued by two local heroes, Phylakos and the Aftonoos. In 279 BC, the Galatians, led by Brennos and Akichorios, crusaded against the Greeks, eyeing the treasures of the sanctuary of Delphi. Through terrible and extremely barbaric atrocities, the Galatians slaughtered all the inhabitants of the city of Kallion on the borders between Evrytania and Aetolia, even committing acts of cannibalism. They then attempted to attack the Sanctuary of Delphi. The ancient sources, and especially Pausanias in a vivid way, mention that when the Galatians encamped in Delphi, an incredible storm started, with lightning falling and hitting the soldiers. Due to the noise of this natural disaster, the Galatians could not listen to the orders of their commanders. In fact, it is said that the ghosts of local heroes appeared as well, of the Yperohos, Laodokos and Pyrros, perhaps and Phylakos too -who had saved Delphi from the Persian invasion-. That same night it got extremely cold and stones began to roll down from Parnassos mountain, which crushed down on the Galatians. The next day the Galatians retreated. The second night, which was particularly cold and foggy, panic broke out in their camp and the Galatians began to fight among themselves, apparently believing that they had been attacked by the Greeks.
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| findings outside the museum |
According to tradition, in the area of Delphi there was a sanctuary dedicated to the ancient goddess Gaia. The dragon Python had been placed as her guardian. Apollo became the lord of the sanctuary when he killed Python. Then the god having been transformed into a dolphin, transported Cretans to the area who founded his sanctuary. This myth about the reign of Apollo survived in festive representations on local festivals, such as Septiria, Delfinia, Thargilia, Theophania, and Pythia. From the 8th century BC, when the worship of Apollo had prevailed, the sanctuary of Delphi acquired a particularly important role in the ancient Greek world, while its influence gradually spread to a large part of the wider area of the eastern Mediterranean, which is evidenced from the tributes found in Delphi, some of which even coming from areas of Syria, Armenia, Massalia, etc.
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| archaeological site |
Pythia is a very important part of Delphi. Pythia was the respective priestess of the god Apollo in the Oracle of Delphi, who transferred the oracle’s pronouncement of the god to the interested party. Pythia was usually chosen among noble virgins of Delphi. Later it was decided to be a woman over 50 years old. The first Pythia of the Oracle of Delphi in mythology was Phemonoe, daughter of the god Apollo. The oracles given by Pythia were of two types: 1) direct, is given by the priesthood directly on the advice of the priestess, 2) indirect, is given by the priesthood after first consulting the flight of birds or the noise of the Holy Oak’s rustling as well as from the sudden appearance of various weather phenomena. Just as the Pythians, so did the Sibyls existed (from the Doric type of the noun "god" - sios and the aeolian form of the noun "will" vouli - volla). The main difference between the Sibyls and the Pythians was that the Pythians prophesied only by answering well-defined questions, while the Sibyls prophesied without having first accepted questions. The most famous Sibylla is Kymaia Sibylla, which served in the sanctuary of Kymi, an ancient Greek colony in Italy.
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| entrance of archaelogical site |
There were also the Delphic orders, a collection of quotations that were engraved on the front wall of the pronaos, on the pilasters of the main temple’s gate, on the temple’s lintel and on the columns around the oracle. They were the exhortations handed over by the Priests and the Seven Wise Men (Thales the Milesian, Pittakos the Mytilenean, Vias the Prieneus, Solon the Athenian, Cleobulus the Rhodian, Periandros the Corinthian, Chilon the Lacedaemonian) to future generations, «Εν δέ τώ προνάω τά έν Δελφοίς γεγραμμένα, έστιν ωφελήματα άνθρώποις» (=”What is written on the pronaos of Delphi, are benefits for the people”) as Pausanias said. Some well-known orders are: θυμού κράτει (thymou kratei=hold your anger), δόξαν δίωκε (doksan dioke=seek glory), καλόν εύ λέγε (kalon ev lege=praise the good), ψέγε μηδένα (psege medena=do not blame anyone), πράττε δίκαια (pratte dikaea=act with justice), γνώθι σαυτόν (gnothi safton=to know yourself), μηδέν άγαν (meden agan=to do everything in moderation, avoiding exaggeration), as well as many more wise orders which are timelessly useful to humanity.
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| the wonderful view from the village of Delphi |
Leaving aside a few of the countless historical records, so as to understand in first place the importance of Delphi, we get back to our journey, beginning from the beautiful village of Delphi, where we spent the night. The modern village of Delphi is a truly unique destination. Beautiful shops for food, drink, coffee and to buy souvenirs, as well as accommodation of excellent quality, make the village seem wonderful. A view of incomparable beauty, as literally under your feet you see the olive grove of Amfissa and Chrissos, while on the other side Itea and Galaxidi, a view that combines mountain, sea, nature. Taking our first walk in the village, we get to know its hospitable inhabitants.
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| the picturesque streets of the village |
Our walk started by wandering on the streets of Filellinon, Apollonos and Frederiki, trying to absorb as many images as we could from the village. Let us mention here that in Delphi there is also the house of the poet Angelos Sikelianos.
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| village of Delphi |
At some point we reach a beautiful small square, with plane trees and many people enjoying the peaceful village. From there we will walk down to the archeological site of Delphi, the archeological museum, as well as the mythical spring Castalia.
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| square of Delphi |
Following the road EO Levadia Amfissa, we reach the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. This state-of-the-art museum of European standards is one of the most important museums in Greece, with many unique exhibits.
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| Sarcophagus of Meleagros |
Outside the museum’s entrance there is an impressive sarcophagus, the sarcophagus of Meleagros, which is one of the oldest findings of Delphi and one of the first museum exhibits. It comes from a monumental burial precinct of the eastern necropolis with the tombs that were seen and described by the travelers arriving in Delphi.
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| Corinthian type helmets, Delphi |
We saw the statue of Eniochos, a bronze statue which was dedicated to the sanctuary of the Deinomenides family of Yela in Sicily. We admired the navel of Delphi, about which the legend says, that Zeus sent two eagles, one east and one west, and where they would meet that would be the center of the world. The two eagles met in Delphi, where Zeus threw the navel. Other exhibits that we saw were the statues of Cleovis and Viton, sons of the priestess Kydippes in Argos, the Daughters of Ionia, as well as the majestic Sphinx of Naxos, a colossal statue sent around 560 BC. from the island of Naxos as an offering to the sanctuary of Apollo. Its total height reached almost 12.5 meters, while it held a prominent position in the sanctuary and symbolically expressed the political, economic and artistic superiority of Naxos during the archaic period.
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| Sphinx of Naxos |
Another impressive exhibit is the Column with the Dancers, an indescribably magnificent marble column that was a votive offering of the Athenians to the oracle. It was a spectacular complex about 11 meters high, which expands in a modular shape, resembling a plant stem, while at the top of the column are the figures of three young women, who seem to be hovering in the air, as they are carved around a part that also looks like a plant.
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| Column with the Dancers |
Among the wonderful and countless sections, with depictions of battles, heroes such as Hercules and Theseus, statues, etc, there was a small section which unfortunately due to the measures of the coronavirus we weren’t allowed to visit, as the section was unjustifiably closed even though measures were being followed by all visitors. This is a unique section, with gold-and-ivory findings, such as an impressive gold-and-ivory female head, gold jewelry, as well as a silver bull of the 6th century BC, a large statue, made entirely of forged metal. The bull was made of silver foils while its details, such as horns, ears and hooves, were gilded.
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| gold-and-ivory findings and the silver bull, Delphi |
After our visit to the Archaeological Museum, we headed to the large outdoor archeological site. Through a very beautiful path full of findings, we reached the site. It takes hours to get around the place and it's really worth every minute here. At the entrance of the site we see the ancient Agora. Along the Holy Road after the base of the Taurus of Corfu, there is an elongated base where bronze statues used to stand on, a tribute of the Arcadians, and especially of the Tegeates. On the left side of the entrance at the sanctuary of Apollo and opposite the base of the Arcadians, once stood the great votive offering of the Lacedaemonians that honored their victory against the Athenians at the Aegos Rivers in 405 BC. and depicted the Dioscuri, Zeus, Apollo, Artemis, but also the Spartan king Lysandros being crowned by Poseidon.
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| Ancient Agora |
As we’re moving on, we find treasures and monuments from various cities of Greece, such as the votive offerings of Argives. Argos made its presence noticeable in the sanctuary of Apollo with more than one votive offerings. It was, after all, one of the most powerful cities of the archaic and classical period. Next to the stoa, built by the Arcadians, along the Holy Road of the Apollo’s Temple, the visitor would meet a semicircular pedestal, dedicated by the Argives, after 369 BC, to honor their contribution to the construction of Messini. The so-called pedestal of the Argian kings depicted the mythical founder of the dynasty Danaos, as well as some of his descendants.
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| treasury of the Argian kings |
As we are going forward we meet the treasuries of the Sikyonians, the Sifnians, the Megaras, the Boeotians, the Thebans, until we reach a really impressive work of the Athenians. The treasury of the Athenians is a building in the form of a small temple. It was dedicated by the Athenians for their victory against the Persians and used to house the Athenian votive offerings to the god Apollo. It was built of Paros marble, in a Doric Order and dates between 510 and 480 BC. Here it is worth mentioning a few words about the Delphic Hymns which are a sample of ancient Greek music. These two hymns are dedicated to the god Apollo and are engraved in marble on the treasury of the Athenians.
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| Athenians treasury |
Nearby there is the Bouleuterion, the treasury of Poseidon, as well as an Aesculapeum. A little further there is the Navel. At this point it is believed to have been the center of the earth.
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| Navel of the earth |
Continuing our ascent, we see the treasures of the Corinthians and the Cyrenians. We pass by the tripod of Plataea, the votive offering of Daochos which was a treasure of Thessaly, while a little further we find the column of Prousias. This monument is a votive offering of the Aetolian Confederation in honor of King Prussias II, King of Bithynia, in northwestern Asia Minor.
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| Column of Prussias |
Nearby we find the most important monument of all, the ancient temple of Apollo. The temple was considered to be the residence of god Apollo and the seat of his oracle, and therefore holds a prominent place in the sanctuary. As the oracle spread its fame throughout the then known world, its form had to be worthy of its universal splendor and radiance. According to mythology, the first temple of Apollo built in the area was a rough construction of laurel branches, the second was made of beeswax and feathers, the third was made of copper, while the fourth was built by the mythical architects Trophonius and Agamedes, with the help of Apollo himself and was made by stone. The temple was destroyed in 548 BC. from fire and in its place was rebuilt a new, luxurious and majestic temple, which was Doric peripteral, with 6 columns on the facade and 15 on the sides and exceptional pediments, works by the sculptor Antinora, with scenes from Apollo, Artemis, Lyto, the Muses, the Battle of the Giants, etc. The temple housed the statues and the offerings to the god, but here also took place the rituals related to the worshipping, the most important of which was the process of divination.
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| Apollo’s temple before and after |
The earthquake of 373 BC destroyed the archaic temple and the sanctuary resorted to a pan-Hellenic fund-raising for its reconstruction. The temple was handed over for use, built in the same design and in almost the same dimensions. To this temple belong the ruins we see today. It is an impressive building, a wonderful example of the Doric Order, whose architects were Spintharos the Corinthian, Xenodoros and Agathon.
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| Apollo’s temple |
Here it is worth emphasizing the strong presence of the god Dionysus in the temple. Apollo, the dominant god of the sanctuary, grants the western pediment of his temple and lends his favorite instrument, the guitar, to Dionysus, in exactly the same way he grants him the ownership of his sanctuary during the three winter months, when he leaves Delphi and goes to the country of the Ypervoreii (= Far North people).
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| ancient theater, Delphi |
Just a bit above the impressive temple, is the ancient theater of Delphi, with a capacity of 5,000 spectators. It is the largest building of the sanctuary and an integral part of it, directly connected with the myths and the worship of the god. It hosted vocal and instrumental music competitions as part of the Pythian Games. The orchestra, with a diameter of 18.50 meters, is surrounded by a corridor 2.20 meters wide, for the movement of spectators, under which is a drainage pipe, evripos (= swift current), for the drainage of rainwater.
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| The theater and below is the temple |
As we are leaving from the theater, we are going up to the Stadium. On a wonderful uphill route, in the serene nature, with the boundless energy seeping out from the place, you can see the wonderful view that the site offers. Going uphill, we reach another brilliant building of the ancient Greeks, the Delphi Stadium, which is located at the highest point of the area – whereas it is the best preserved stadium in Greece -. It was formed in the 4th century BC. It was about 178 meters long and on both sides of it stood bearings for the spectators, which were made of stone and marble. Unfortunately the entrance is closed and one can admire the stadium only from one point.
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| Stadium of Delphi |
At this point we need to highlight two issues that left us with a negative impression: 1) several sites were closed for no particular reason resulting in many visitors, like us, to begrudging, since despite the expensive ticket, access was not available to several archeological sites. 2) showing understanding to the difficult work of the guards of the area, it is impossible not to mention a negative phenomenon that took place. There wasn’t any information provided, a brochure perhaps, to the visitors, so that they know what to watch out for in the area, as well as where there are rest points, fountains, etc. Instead the guards were forced to constantly whistle to the visitors with whistles, sometimes logically and sometimes in exaggeration, making the sanctuary being a reminiscent of a stadium where the arbitrator's whistles are heard, while the whistle image for the slightest reason, disturbs the tranquility of the place as well as the visitors too. As "En Astron", we would suggest that the competent bodies inform the visitors with leaflets or with basic information at the entrance and if necessary, then use a whistle, so that this sacred place does not resemble a traffic junction.
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| Holy Road, Delphi |
After this great tour at the sanctuary of Apollo, it is time to go to the famous sanctuary of Pronaia Athena. After leaving the area, a little further there is a downhill and the entrance to the area of Pronaia Athena, where there is the most characteristic monument of Delphi, the Tholos. It is a masterpiece of classical architecture, which has been characterized as one of the most beautiful and exceptional creations of ancient Greek architecture, composing almost all the rhythms of classical architectural design. The twenty columns of the outer peristyle are Doric and are crowned by a frieze with embossed metopes decorated with scene representations from Amazon and Centaur battles. The circular cella with solid walls is also crowned by a Doric frieze with triglyphs and embossed metopes of smaller size, while inside once stood ten pilasters of Corinthian Order.
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| Tholos of Pronaea Athena’s sanctuary |
Next to Tholos, lies the treasury of the Massaliotes. It was made of Paros marble and among its remarkable features were its Aeolian capitals, which are generally considered as the precursors to the Corinthian capitals. The treasury was made by the Massaloi, as a testament to the strong and ever-increasing commercial power of ancient Massalia at that time. The city of Massalia was founded by the Phocaeans around 600 BC during the period when the Ionian city of Phocaea, colonized in the northwestern Mediterranean, founding outside of Massalia, Agathi Tychi, Olvia, Antipolis and Nicaea. Subsequently, Alalia, a trading post on the east coast of Corsica and Elea in the Gulf of Salerno, were established, as well as strong colonies in Spain, such as Emporio.
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| Treasury of Massaliotes |
Nearby is the Doric treasury, possibly originating from Lacedaemonians. We sat for a while to be mindful of the site. Olive trees, hazelnut trees, bushes and wildflowers complete the image of the landscape, while birds and cicadas take over to fill the place with sounds of nature. Of course, there are kittens too who are so friendly waiting to be caressed from the visitor.
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| Doric treasury |
We get up and move on to the area of Pronaia Athena, seeing her temple and the altars where the offerings were being made in honor of the goddess.
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| Findings from Athena’s temple |
After having finished our tour in Pronea Athena, it was time to go up again and head to Castalia spring. After a short walk we find ourselves in Castalia a spring with its crystal clear and gurgling waters, where a spring cools the visitors with its cool water, next to the archeological site of Castalia.
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| Castalia source |
The Castalia spring is a natural spring at the foothills of mountain Parnassos. It took its name from the mythical nymph Castalia. In ancient times it was dedicated to the god Apollo and the Muses. The spring historically is inextricably linked to the oracle of Delphi. Its waters played an important role in the worship and operation of the oracle, as Pythia, the priests, the staff and the pilgrims of the oracle were washing themselves in them. The archaic building of Castalia fountain was located between the sanctuary of Apollo and the Gymnasium and dates back to 600 BC. Over the centuries until Roman times the fountain was remodeled and repaired several times. Modern Castalia dates back to the 1st century BC.
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| Castalia fountain |
After drinking water from the ancient spring, we gazed at the Phaedriades stones which embrace Castalia. Two rocky steep hills were called as Phaedriades stones. These hills are located east and west. The east one was named "Nafplia", while the west one "Yambeia".
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| Phaedriades stones |
It's time to leave the main area of Delphi. But our journey through time does not end here, since our last destination is also the most primitive and mysterious. Corycian cave (Korykeio Andro) or otherwise the cave of Panas, is our destination. At the 7th km of Arachova Eptalofou in the location Kalyvia of Livadio, there is a relevant sign that leads to this large cave of Parnassos. The road is a passable dirt road which you can take up by car, but we recommend leaving the car in a safe place and walk towards the cave.
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| route to the cave of Panas |
The route to the cave is indescribable. A wonderful forest of firs, holm oak groves and other trees create a wonderful landscape. Corycian cave is located at an altitude of 1,360 meters.
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| the forest around Corycian cave |
In this beautiful forest of firs and the wonderful view, the cave was dedicated to the god Panas and the Corykees Nymphs. It has gained worldwide fame, not only for its natural beauty, but also for the magic caused by the ancient myth, according to which, as Aeschylus mentions, the cave was a place of visit for divine spirits. Also Corykio was the largest cavern of antiquity, while in 480 BC. here the inhabitants of Delphi took refuge to be saved by the Persians.
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| Entrance of the Corycian cave |
As soon as we reached the entrance of the cave, we saw a unique point, overlooking the ski resort of Parnassos, while we saw the cave slowly being revealed in front of us. The oldest findings of habitation and worship in the area of Delphi have been found here in Corycian cave and date from at least 4,000 BC to the Mycenaean years in 1,550 BC.
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| The Corycian cave |
The cave has two main rooms and continues at a great depth with a narrow tunnel. The first chamber is up to 50 meters high and measures about 90 by 60. It is full of stalactites with some stalagmite complexes in the periphery. In fact, one of them, with a fairly large area, is called a "bank" and it is speculated that the pilgrims, who gathered in the cave throughout antiquity, placed offerings there.
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| Interior of Panas cave |
The place has an incredible energy, calmness, it is a miracle of nature, which of course affects you and you feel like travelling with all this mysterious aura it has. It is impossible not to feel a shiver and awe from the imposingness of the cave. It is impossible not to imagine that when night falls here, the primordial spirits of the forest, nymphs, muses, satyrs and other mysterious creatures, together with Panas set up mysterious dances under the moonlight.
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| Interior of Panas cave |
At the right of the entrance we can see on the rock engraved the inscription: "ΕΥΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ ΑΛΚΙΔΗΜΟΥ ΑΜΒΡΥΣΣΙΟΣ ΣΥΝΠΕΡΙΠΟΛΩ ΠΑΝΙ ΝΥΜΦΑΙΣ", (= Eustratos, son of Alkidemos, from Ambryssos, together with the escort of Pan and the Nymphs) which dates back to the 4th century BC.
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| The inscription at the entrance of the cave |
After having explored the cave of Pan, we descended to take the road to return. This is how a two-day trip to Delphi ended. The flavors this trip left us with are definitely unique, while the desire to find ourselves again in these ancient paths with the rich nature, is invincible. We hope you enjoyed this journey as much as we did and felt like you travelled with us, through a route with gods, myths, nymphs, heroes, unique monuments, etc. We encourage you to get to know the center of the earth, Delphi.
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| Apollo’s temple |
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