Ancient Delphi. Delphi and the Delphic Oracle, or where the navel of the earth is located. The Delphic Temple in Greece

Man does not have time to make fatal mistakes - this is the prerogative of the gods. After all, only they, having Eternity, can make countless mistakes, without thinking about what this could lead to. That is why the ancient Greeks hurried to Delphi on the southwestern slope of Mount Parnassus, where at an altitude of 700 m in the Temple of Apollo they could find out their fate and follow the will of the gods playing their endless games...

Before Apollo

Today, only well-preserved ruins remain of the rich temple complex on the slope. But in ancient times, Delphi in Greece was famous for the fact that from time immemorial, sanctuaries in honor of the gods were located on this site. Already in the 16th century. BC, that is, more than 3500 years ago, the cult of Mother Earth was celebrated here. And where there is a sanctuary, there are rich gifts. The priestly settlement was repeatedly plundered, and half a thousand years later it finally fell into decay.

Today, from the richest temple complex on the slope of Parnassus, only well-preserved ruins remain

The cult of Mother Earth (for the Greeks it is Gaia) is universal in nature: it is both birth and death, creativity and destruction. All the chthonic monsters that terrified ancient people are her “children.” Among them is the terrible serpent Python, who entwined Parnassus from the foot to the very top with nine stinking rings. According to one version, it was Python who initially acted as the “mouthpiece” of the will of the mother goddess. But, most likely, the myth about it arose precisely because the sanctuary, due to numerous murders and robberies, over time began to be considered an unclean place, and even unsafe.

So the Delphic Oracle might never have appeared if ancient man had not finally turned to the more “enlightened” cult of the Olympian gods, the gods of the “third generation.” And if Zeus, having decided to determine the center of the world inherited from Kronos, the son of Gaia, would not have released two birds (eagles, swans or ravens) from the opposite borders of light. The supreme ancient Greek god threw a huge stone at the place where the birds met, thereby marking where the Navel of the Earth is located. This stone fell precisely on the southwestern slope of Parnassus. The place, of course, was not bad, it was prayed for, but it did not enjoy the best reputation. However, in the end, there are rituals of cleansing from defilement...

The center or “Navel of the Earth” was designated by the Lord of Olympus with a cone-shaped sacred stone

Apollo at Delphi

Athens-Delphi buses run 4 times a day from 7.30 to 17.30 on weekdays and Saturdays and 5 times from 7.30 to 20.00 on Fridays and Sundays. Travel time is 2.5-3 hours. The fare is €15.10 (2014). If you are going to Delphi for an overnight stay (and it’s worth it), then there is a good selection of hotels with guest reviews, photos and the possibility of booking.

Lovers of colorful shopping should go to Arachova

The archaeological site of Delphi is open daily from 7.30 to 20.00. The museum's opening hours, with more than 6,000 exhibits, vary depending on the time of year. In summer it is open from Sunday to Tuesday from 8.30 to 15.30, and from Wednesday to Saturday from 8.00 to 20.00. In winter, both the excavations and the museum open to the public at 8:30 a.m. and are accessible until 2:45 p.m. There are also days in the museum’s operating schedule when you can visit it for free – we have provided a list of them.

The schedule is constantly changing. Only one thing remains unchanged: it is better to come to Delphi early in the morning, before it is too hot and there are no huge crowds of schoolchildren, students, or excursion groups. In summer it is possible to avoid the crowds in the late afternoon. The cost of a single ticket (Delphi Museum plus excavations) is €9 (2014).

Finally, I would like to add that if you are planning to visit Delphi, be sure to check out Arachova, a small village located a few kilometers from the Complex. Today it is considered one of the most popular ski tourism centers in Greece. And it doesn’t matter, if you come here during your summer vacation, you can also go to Arachova for some colorful local shopping. The local residents are known as very good craftsmen when it comes to all sorts of interesting items of clothing and various obscure gizmos.

Delphi, one of the oldest cities and, was famous in the ancient world for its Temple of Apollo and the famous Delphic oracle, to which pilgrims from all over the Ecumene came for fortune telling. The ancient Greeks attached to the temple of Apollo located in Delphi and to the Delphic oracle great value. Nowadays the archaeological sites of Delphi are under the protection of UNESCO and are included in

Delphi is located at the foot of Mount Parnassus - the habitat of the god Apollo, patron of the arts, and his companions - the nine muses. According to the ancient Greeks, this was the center of the earth. This is exactly how Delphi was depicted on ancient maps. Here, among the ruins of an ancient sanctuary, the “navel of the Earth” was found - a marble statue, on the surface of which ribbons are depicted pulling it. The Greeks called it Omphalos.

The sanctuary at Delphi dates back to ancient times and was traditionally associated with fortune tellers. Here, as a writer of the 3rd century wrote. Justin, there was “a small platform with a deep crevice on it, open for oracles. A cold stream of air, driven upward by some force, like the wind, comes out of this crevice, drives the minds of the soothsayers into a frenzy and, filling them with divine inspiration, forces them to give answers to the questioners.” The soothsayers (Pythia) sat over the crevice, from where the intoxicating vapors came out and, falling into a trance, began to pronounce words, which the priests of the temple - the profits - listened carefully and wrote down as a prediction, as a rule, giving it a literary form -or, usually in the form of poetry. Pythias were originally young girls, but then an elderly woman no younger than fifty years old began to be elected as a Pythia.

Legend says that at first Delphic oracle belonged not to Apollo, but to the Earth goddess Gaia, and the first soothsayer was the nymph Daphne. Apollo took possession of the sanctuary, killing Typhon, the serpent-dragon guarding the oracle, and Daphne, pursued by Apollo, turned into a laurel tree to escape. Since then, the laurel tree has become the sacred tree of Delphi. And in honor of the oracle of Apollo, sports competitions were regularly held in Delphi - the Pythian Games. The last games took place at Delphi in 394 AD.

The Temple of Apollo at Delphi played a huge role in the life of the ancient Greeks at all times in their history. Not a single serious matter, whether it was of a private nature or concerned the interests of the entire state, began without consultation with the Delphic oracle. Kings Midas of Lydia, Tarquin the Proud, the legendary rich man Croesus, and the great commander Alexander the Great came to the Delphic Pythia for advice. The prophecy of the Delphic oracle, which he gave to the Lydian king Croesus, who was about to go to war, became textbook: “Croesus, crossing the Gallis River, will destroy the great kingdom.” The delighted Croesus, deciding that the oracle predicted victory for him, started a war, but his own kingdom was destroyed...

Anyone entering the temple of Apollo first had to take a bath in the waters of the Castalian spring. The water of the source was considered sacred; it cleansed temple servants of filth; participants in the competition drank it before the Pythian Games. The Castalian key is located at the foot of the Fedriada rock, and in ancient times small niches were carved into its wall, intended for gifts brought by pilgrims, and a pool was built in the rock under the key.

From the Castalian stream the road led to a sacred piece of land - the temenos, on which the temple of Apollo and the oracle were located. Temenos was surrounded by a high stone wall with several gates. The central entrance was located opposite the Kastalsky key.

Over the long centuries of its existence, the Temple of Apollo has accumulated many outstanding works of art, marble and bronze statues. The kings and peoples of the Ancient world brought generous gifts to the oracle to the Delphic temple. Beautiful structures once stood on the territory of the sanctuary. Nowadays, little remains of them.

Along the Sacred Road from the Central Gate to the Temple of Apollo there once stood numerous statues - gifts and donations from various Greek cities, many of which are now kept in the museum of the city of Delphi. Residents of the island of Kerkyra installed a copper bull here, citizens of the city of Tegea - many statues of gods and heroes. Spartans in memory of the victory over the Athenians at the end of the 5th century. BC. donated statues of Dioscuri, Zeus, Apollo, Artemis and Poseidon. There were also gifts from Athens - statues of Athena, Apollo, Erechtheus, Kekrops, the Athenian commander Miltiades, the winner of the Persians at Marathon. All of them were created by the great sculptor Phidias. Even further away were the gifts of Argos - statues of gods, heroes and leaders, including the commander Amphiaraus, sculpted along with his war chariot, and a copper horse by the sculptor Antiphanes.

Any Greek citizen could bring a statue as a gift to Apollo. The great sculptor Praxiteles donated a statue of Phryne of his own to the temple, and the famous physician Hippocrates donated a copper statue of a man exhausted by illness. There were a huge number of sculptures in the sanctuary, their number reached three thousand. These treasures were later partly plundered and partly destroyed. The Roman Emperor Nero alone removed about five hundred statues from Delphi. And the three-headed copper snake with three bodies, taken from Delphi, subsequently decorated the palace of the Byzantine emperors.

Temple treasuries stretched behind the statues. Particularly precious gifts to Apollo were kept here. Many treasuries were “family” - they accumulated gifts from residents of certain cities and regions for centuries. The ancient historian Pausanias writes about the treasuries of the Athenians, Thebans, Sicyonians, Sifnosians, Potidaeans, Cnidians and Syracusans. Some of the treasuries have been preserved in ruins, others - for example, the treasury of the Athenians - have been restored and restored. Many of the treasuries are made of marble and decorated with numerous stone carved images and sculptures on themes of mythology and Greek history. Numerous fragments of these sculptures and reliefs have survived to this day.

ancient Delphi

At the walls of the sanctuary, travelers were greeted by the Sphinx of Naxos standing on a high column. It was donated to the sanctuary by the inhabitants of Naxos. His figure was preserved and was found by archaeologists in 1893. The fantastic monster, sculpted from marble, has a height of 2.32 m and resembles another sphinx that once stood on the legendary homeland of Apollo - the island of Delos.

And in the center of the sanctuary stood the building of the Temple of Apollo itself. He was surrounded by many marble and bronze figures. The temple was built in 366-339. BC, on the site of several successive posfoeks, the earliest of which dates back to 548-547. BC. But even before her, at least three more predecessor temple buildings existed on this site.

Nowadays, several columns and foundations have survived from the majestic Temple of Apollo. The temple is 60 m long and 23 m wide. It was once surrounded on all sides by six columns at the ends and fifteen on the long sides. It was a classical ancient Greek temple, called the periptera. "Peripter" means "feathered", that is, surrounded by columns on all sides. Behind the solid colonnade rose blank walls made of marble.

The pediments of the Temple of Apollo were richly decorated with multi-figure reliefs and marble and limestone sculptures. Only the figure of the goddess of victory Nike and fragments of the figure of the goddess Athena have survived to this day. According to Pausanias, in addition to Nike, the temple was decorated with statues of Apollo, Artemis, Leto, Helios, and Dionysus.

The entrance to the temple was on the east side. It is characteristic that people who had tarnished their name and reputation were forbidden to enter the temple. “The temples of the immortals are open to honest people!” - the ancient Greeks were convinced. In front of the entrance to the temple there was a white stone altar, built from white marble slabs by the inhabitants of the island of Chios at the beginning of the 5th century. BC. Near the altar, the ceremony of freeing slaves took place.

The naos, the main interior of the temple, was divided into three parts by two rows of columns. Once there was an altar here and an unquenchable fire burned. In the western wall there was a door leading to the main sanctuary - the aditon. Here, above the crevice of the rock, from which intoxicating vapors came out, there was the famous golden tripod, on which the Pythia soothsayer sat. Here stood the “navel of the Earth” - Omphalos, and a laurel tree grew - the symbol of Delphi. Aditon was consecrated by a statue of Apollo, cast from pure gold.
The inner walls of the temple were decorated with military trophies of the Athenians taken in the Battle of Marathon - Persian shields and armor, and Gaulish armor - a gift from the Aetolians. The best and most precious gifts to Apollo were kept in the temple. Here stood marble statues of the great Homer, statues of the goddesses of fate Moira, Zeus and Apollo.

In the 1st century BC. The sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was captured and plundered by the Roman general Sulla. The Romans took from here many precious things, gold and silver items, art monuments famous throughout the Ancient World, marble and bronze statues. But the Delphic oracle continued to exist for several more centuries, until in the 4th century. was not banned by Emperor Theodosius - the time of Christianity was coming.

Once Zeus sent two eagles from different parts of the world; according to legend, the birds were thereby supposed to show where the center of the world was. The birds were encountered on the territory of the modern western slope of Mount Parnassus at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level. It was here, in beautiful Greece, that the city of Delphi was founded. Today, only ruins remain of that city.

Legend has it that the city has been admired for its holy power from the very beginning. It was nicknamed the oracle - a place where you can get predictions. Part of the city of Delphi belonged to the Earth goddess Gaia, who in turn gave it to another deity. So the land passed from hand to hand of various mythical heroes: Themis, Apollo, Posedon.

In the 7th-6th centuries BC. e. the role of the sacred place increased. The tribes that lived in these territories always came here in order to find out the answer to a question that interested them or to make an offering to the gods.

In Delphi they began to conduct Pythian games. The event became the second most important after the Olympic Games. Sports and creative competitions were held. The games brought great popularity to the city and gave impetus to development.

Attractions Delphi includes:

Temple of Apollo.
Only a few vertical pillars indicate a building that once existed on this site. Archaeologists have established that this structure was a temple. Sacred ceremonies were performed here. In one of the rooms the lists of participants in the Pythian Games were kept. The story goes that the temple was built with donations that were collected throughout the country. The building was rectangular in shape with rows of columns on each side. The decoration included images of various scenes from Greek mythology.
It is known that there was omphalos- an object similar to a monolithic block symbolized the “Navel of the Earth.” The Archaeological Museum of Delphi contains some fragments of the Temple of Apollo that were found during excavations.

Treasury of the Athenians.
The small building was used to store various trophies and awards for important battles. On the walls of the building you can see many inscriptions that describe various holidays and customs of those years. The inside walls are covered with texts describing important dates in the life of the city. Records were kept from about the 3rd century BC. e.

Polygonal wall.
One part of the wall was built to protect against falling stones, and the other was erected to strengthen the soil and outline the boundaries of the temple. About 800 different texts are written along the entire surface.

Portico of the Athenians.
The portico was built with one side leaning against a polygonal wall. Nearby there was a place of sacrifice and a temple. An inscription can be seen on the building: “The Athenians erected a portico and weapons and statues, driving out their enemies.” Thanks to the text, scientists were able to determine that this building was founded in 478 BC. e.

Treasury of the Sifnosians.
A small building resembling a temple was erected to store the donations of the Sifnosians. Instead of columns, two statues of girls were built here. Nowadays, only the foundation has survived from the structure. In the Archaeological Museum of Delphi you can also see various fragments of the treasury's ornamentation.

Delphic Theatre.
Once upon a time, creativity competitions in the Pythian Games were held here: singing, playing musical instruments. The total capacity is approximately 5 thousand seats and about 35 rows. There are small passages between the rows. Time has greatly damaged the theater - architectural details of the structure are still found in different parts of Delphi.

Sacred Road.
Pilgrims and visitors approached the temple along the Sacred Road. There were once statues along the first stretch of the path; Treasuries were installed along the second section, and the final part was decorated with an “exhibition” of offerings to the city.

Ancient stadium of Delphi.
The stadium was built to host the Pythian Games. It was here that the sports part of these competitions was held. The stadium was designed for approximately 5 thousand seats; initially people sat on the ground, but later stone benches were created. The site was located on a slope. The entrance was represented by several arches through which the judge and the athletes themselves passed.

Tholos Athena Pronoia. This landmark has become a symbol of the city of Delphi. However, scientists have not established the purpose for which this structure was built. The structure rises between the temple of Athena and the treasury of the Massilians. The building is represented by a circular colonnade of 20 pillars. When examining the monument, you can notice several colors in the architecture. This was due to the fact that different materials were used during construction. Details of the decor can be studied in more detail at the Delphi Museum.

All the listed attractions are only a part of those that can be seen. A walk through the grounds of Delphi can be a truly wonderful experience for any visitor. The ancient city is included in the World Heritage List UNESCO.

Get there You can get to Delphi by bus from Athens. Travel time will be approximately 3 hours.

Delphi - an ancient Greek city, which in ancient times was the general cultural center of the country, and is described in the legends and myths that have reached us. It is located in the southwestern part of the territory of the Phocis prefecture, in the area of ​​​​the picturesque Parnassus mountain range, which the inhabitants of Ancient Hellas associated with the mountain of the gods.

WITH According to archaeologists, in 1600 BC, a female deity was worshiped in Delphi, which was associated among the population of Ancient Hellas with Mother Earth. This beautiful place became a pan-Greek cultural and religious center only about 2,700 years ago, when the glory of the Delphic Oracle spread throughout the Hellenistic world.

Once upon a time without visiting Delphic Oracle and after receiving the prophecy, practically no war began on the territory of Greece, and kings and generals listened to the recommendations received in Delphi. But after the spread of Christianity and the ban of Emperor Theodosius I in 394 on turning to the oracle, the ancient city of Delphi ceased to exist, having been covered with thick earth over the centuries, and only archaeologists managed to revive it to a new life - as an important tourist site. A little away from the ruins of ancient buildings there is a village of the same name with several hotel complexes where tourists traveling around Greece can stay.

What is the city of Delphi famous for?

The city of Delphi is inextricably linked with Delphic oracle And Pythian games, information about which can be seen both in ancient Greek historical sources and in the myths of Ancient Hellas. The exact procedure for turning to the oracle, the method of asking questions and the form of receiving an answer are now unknown; only the inextricable connection of the prophecies with the temple of Apollo and his priestesses - the Pythia, from whom the questioners received the final answer, has been clarified. According to surviving descriptions of ancient Greek authors, the Pythia sat on a tripod directly above a cleft in the ground, from which steam came out and intoxicated the priestess.

Pythian games in Delphi were held from the 4th century BC every four years, at this time all wars even stopped in the territory of Ancient Hellas, and participation in the event was associated with the unity of the Hellenes. They were dedicated to Apollo of Pythia, and at first only singing competitions, carried out to the accompaniment of the cithara.

In later times, the Pythian Games included athletic and artistic competitions, horse riding competitions and chariot races. At the same time, the venue for athletic events was the stadium, singing competitions took place on the stage of the ancient theater, and horse competitions were held outside the city, on flat terrain in the immediate vicinity of the town of Criss.

According to ancient Greek mythology, the city of Delphi was considered "Navel of the Earth", and the legend that has come down to us tells how the ruler of Olympus, the formidable thunder god Zeus, who wanted to determine the location of the center of the world, released two eagles. Proud birds, one of which flew from the west and the other from the east, by a strange coincidence met each other near Delphi, landing on a rock. In this place, at the behest of Zeus, it was installed omphalos- a sacred monument in the form of a flattened cone, associated not only with the center of the world, but also with the sun.

On the territory of the ancient Greek city of Delphi, you can encounter another inexplicable phenomenon - Delphic echo. Even modern tourists visiting archaeological sites during excursions in Greece are perplexed when they manage to hear such an unusual echo. Even words spoken in a barely audible whisper are often picked up by an echo and carried over a fairly impressive distance, and the sound of the echo gradually increases, becoming louder and louder, reaching a peak, and only then the sounds begin to fade.

What to see in Delphi?

When coming to Delphi, you can independently or as part of a group of tourists take a walk through the archaeological excavation zone, where the ancient streets of the ancient religious town are open. The road connecting Arakhov with Amphis divides the ancient Greek settlement into three separate zones, among which the most interesting for travelers interested in history is Sacred Zone. It is a kind of open-air archaeological museum, and entrance to the territory of the ancient refuge of the Delphic Oracle is paid.

In this area you can see the ancient agora and the ruins of the famous Temple of Apollo, considered the patron saint of sailors. Once inside the sanctuary there were many decorations presented by the king and the generals of Ancient Hellas as gifts to the deity, and exquisite statues, and now all the finds were transferred to the Delphi Museum and became an integral part of its exhibition. Once carefully kept in the temple of Apollo omphalos, symbolizing the center of the Earth, and in the sacred part of the sanctuary there was communication between the Pythian priestesses and the Delphic oracle.

Main altar of the temple of Apollo has survived to this day, and a black marble structure dating back to the 5th century BC can still be seen right in front of the ancient sanctuary. Not far from the ancient sanctuary there is another unique building - the “stoa”, which is seven fluted columns with an inscription. According to the inscription, the classical colonnade was erected in 478 BC in honor of the Hellenic victory over the Persians.

On the territory of the Sacred Zone there is a supposed sanctuary of Gaia, as well as many civil buildings from the times of Ancient Hellas - the Council House, called “bouleuterion” and several treasury buildings. While walking through the ancient settlement, tourists will see the remains of colonnades and preserved ancient staircases, but of particular interest is sacred path- the road running from the Athenian portico, where the war trophies of Athens were once kept, towards the temple terrace.

There is still a large altar here, delivered to Delphi as a gift from the island of Chios, and then the road passes over the ancient temple to the ruins of a stadium and theater built in the 4th century BC, where the Pythian Games were held several thousand years ago. From the territory Delphic Theater a charming view of the sanctuary of Apollo opens up, as well as a picturesque valley stretching below. When there were thirty-five rows of stone seats around the stage, and at the time of the performance, 5,000 spectators could visit the theater at the same time.

Stadium, which served for almost seven centuries and was restored for the last time in the 2nd century, already during the rule of the Romans, accommodated up to 6,000 spectators who gathered here during the Pythian Games. On the territory of the Marmaria zone, the main building is considered Tholos- a rounded building built in the 4th century BC, made in the shape of a rotunda, and now three of its four massive columns have survived.

Where to go in Delphi?

Travelers wishing to experience the mystery of Delphi can walk through picturesque pine groves towards the Fountain House, which is built directly above Castalian springs. The sacred spring in the eastern part of Delphi, gushing out of the ground at the foot of the wall right next to the rock, was used by ancient pilgrims for bathing, and near it visitors to the religious center left offerings to the gods.

A trip to the territory of the pan-Greek cultural and religious center would be incomplete without visiting Delphic Museum, which contains almost all the unique finds made by archaeologists. Its exhibition includes beautiful statues of ancient gods, religious objects found in sanctuaries, and everyday rarities. The museum itself is located in close proximity to the main archaeological complex.

Sikelianos Museum will be of interest to sightseers familiar with the peculiarities of Greek drama, and its exhibition is collected in an ancient mansion, from the windows of which a charming panorama of the archaeological excavation zone opens. Most of the exhibition is dedicated to Angelos Sikelianos, a Greek poet, as well as his American wife Eva Palmer. The married couple made a great contribution to the development of Delphi in our time, transforming the territory of the ancient city into a modern center of dramatic art.

From this article you will learn:

Most of the historical sites are preserved and are well-kept ruins. Archaeologists and cultural experts work here, and museums have been created. Such places are called archaeological sites (parks).

The Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi is one such archaeological site. Is under the protection of UNESCO.

When coming to Delphi, many expect to see and even visit ancient Greece. This is true. You will visit Ancient Greece, but you will have to use all your imagination and knowledge in order to see the most famous place of ancient Greece - the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi - on the site of stones, steps, ruins of temples and treasuries.

This is what the reconstruction of the sanctuary looks like. This is how it was during the heyday and power of Delphi.

Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi and its history

Delphi today is a tourist town, and in winter it is a ski resort. The main attraction of these places is Delphi. As in ancient times, people from all over the world flock here, but now not only Hellenes.

This is the map of Delphi. Attractions can be divided into 3 conventional parts.

1. The sacred territory on which there is an agora (ancient city), religious buildings, an amphitheater, temples. Behind it is the stadium. There is also a museum here. (Paid part).
2. The territory where the source is located is the Kastalsky Spring. On the map of Delphi all this is to the left of the road.
3. The area on the opposite side (to the right of the road) is the Gymnasium and the Sanctuary of Athena (Free part of the site).

How to get to the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi

From the town of Delphi to the archaeological site is about 15 minutes on foot.

How to get? Leave the town and follow the wide road (you can take this road to Athens).

You can travel to the Sanctuary of Apollo from Athens. But it will be difficult to fit the trip and sightseeing into one day. Firstly, fatigue after the road; secondly, when walking through the archaeological park, you will have to constantly go up and down the steps. It seems like nothing complicated, but at the end of the day you hardly want to go back to Athens. Besides, I advise you to enjoy the place without any fuss. Delphi deserves it.

Delphi Greece opening hours. What's the cover charge

The archaeological site (park) is open daily:

• in summer - from 7.30 to 19.30
• in winter - from 8.00 to 17.00

The ticket costs 9 euros. This is the entrance to the site and the entrance to the museum.
We also recommend visiting the archaeological museum. Find out more information about the museum

• Ticket sales stop half an hour before closing. It's not worth coming close.
• Place the ticket in a safe place. Entrance to the site and entrance to the museum are carried out using the same ticket. You must present your ticket upon entering the museum.

So, we leave the point on the plan designated as Modern Delphi and follow the road.
On the left is Mount Parnassus - the abode of the golden-haired Apollo and the muses. There are terraces on Parnassus; partly of natural origin, partly hollowed out by the ancient Greeks. To the right is a picturesque gorge with olive and cypress groves, and a strip of the Gulf of Corinth is visible behind. The Fedriada Mountains are ahead.

While we are going to the archaeological park, I will talk about the origin of the word Delphi and give a short excursion into history.

Mount Parnassus

Parnassus is not just one mountain, but a mountain range with valleys and gorges. The massif takes its name from the name of the god Parnassus, the son of the god of the seas Poseidon. Parnassus gave people this type of fortune telling as ornithomancy - fortune telling by the flight of birds.

Mount Parnassus is also interesting because, according to the ancient historian Ovid, it became the place of salvation for humanity after the Flood.

The Great Flood did not raise doubts among historians, but the place of rebirth of people differs among different religions. From here a blasphemous thought creeps into my mind: maybe Noah was not the only one who was saved? Perhaps other places had their own saints who listened to their gods and acted in accordance with their commands (or warnings). But these are just my thoughts, inspired by the road leading to the sanctuary of Apollo. It is interesting to us that before Apollo, the god Parnassus lived in these places, who knew how to predict the future.

Andrea Mantegna. Parnassus (detail of the painting).

Origin of the name of the area Delphi

There are many versions. I will tell you about three, in my opinion, the most natural.

The first version is mythological. It introduces us to the world of the ancient Greeks, who, with the help of myths and legends, explained and created their picture of the world.

After defeating the serpent Python, Apollo began to settle in a new place. He needed priests of a new cult. The first ministers were sailors from the ship. Apollo appeared to the sailors in the form of a dolphin and led the ship behind him. On the shore of the Gulf of Corinth (you see a piece of the bay in the photo), the sailors landed and began their new duties.

To give a high style to my story, I will quote Homer’s lines from the hymn to Apollo. Compare: the same story, but in hexameter:

“Since for the first time I rose in front of you from the foggy sea in the form of a dolphin near a fast ship,
So henceforth pray to me as Delphinus, and let this Altar be called the Delphic. And he will be glorious forever.”

View of the Corinthian Gulf

The name Delphi (Δελφοι) appears for the first time in Heraclitus and in the Homeric hymn to Artemis. Previously, this place was called Python. Both names are associated with legends about the origin of this most famous sanctuary of Apollo in Greece. Despite the fact that the image of a dolphin is found on Delphic coins, the name Delphi in all likelihood has nothing to do with Apollo Delphinius and comes from the word Δελφ - “hollowed out”, which would correspond to the character of the local mountain landscape.

K. Mikhailovsky “Delphi. Art and culture of the ancient world." Ed. Arcade. Warsaw. 1977

At the moment, the version about the origin of the name “Delphi” from Δελφ - “hollowed out” is considered the closest to the truth. But on the other hand, there are arguments in favor of a different interpretation of the origin of the name.

Third version:
According to the Delphic calendar, the year began with the month Apellaios in midsummer (Bickerman), but at the same time, at midnight, the constellation Delphinus rose over Delphi. And the zodiacal rising of this constellation occurred at the winter solstice or the middle of the year.

Thus, there was observance of the principle of the unity of space and time. Delphi was the center of Greece, just as the zodiac rising of Delphinus was the center of the annual cycle.

Therefore, the version of the origin of “Delphi” from “Dolphin” can be considered at least parallel.

I like all three versions. Each is beautiful in its own way. The third seems to me the most consonant with fortune telling and the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi. You can choose yours. And we will continue our journey.

By the beginning of the 20th century, in classical literature and painting, Apollo looks like such a sweet, handsome man with a cithara or bow, accompanied by muses. One of the favorite sculptural themes of park and garden architecture.

The sense of place at Delphi does not in any way correspond to this bright image. The nature here is beautiful. The sky is high and blue. The air is clean. You breathe as you drink. But the power of this place is such that it somehow doesn’t feel like flitting around and having fun. The sensations are unfamiliar, strange, I would say archaic.

Places of power in Greece. Delphi - a place of power

Many travelers are looking for places of power. There are several such places in Greece. Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, one of the main ones. And not only in Greece, but also in the world.

So far we have noticed that this place miraculously attracts gods and strange creatures. Python, Parnassus, Poseidon, Apollo. And this is not a complete list!

Pausanias, describing in the second half of the 2nd century AD. his journey to Greece, mentions the existence here in ancient times of an oracle that belonged to Gaia, as well as Poseidon. Later, Gaia gave the sanctuary to the goddess of justice Themis, who gave it to Apollo. Poseidon voluntarily gave up his place and settled on the island of Kalavria.

Greece is a big country. Why were the gods drawn specifically here?

The history of Delphi goes back to the 16th century BC. During excavations, scientists discovered traces of earlier sanctuaries. Servants of the cult of the earth goddess Gaia lived here. The finds date back to a time when the pantheon of Olympian gods (the religion with which we associate ancient Greece) had not yet taken shape.

It was this goddess-Mother Gaia who gave birth to the future gods of Olympus. But all this will still happen, but for now in these places there is a cave, the entrance to the womb of the goddess, which is guarded by the Son of Gaia - the powerful and terrible serpent Python. He burns and destroys everything in his path, devours people, ruins villages. But Mother Earth loves him, like all her children.

And we draw our conclusion: people already in those distant times were striving for this place. Python strictly guarded the forbidden zone.

Scientists suggest that there were religious buildings here at different times, belonging to different beliefs. So even before Apollo, one of the “owners” of this place was Poseidon, and Dionysus lived here.

Legends are layered on top of each other, forming tangles of mysteries. While you puzzle over them, you begin to understand how humanity has changed. I don’t know if we will ever truly understand what happened here and why.

Before Apollo became the full (though not entirely) owner of this place, he had to defeat the guardian of the goddess Gaia - the snake (if I’m not confused in family ties, the snake Python was Apollo’s uncle). When Python died, Gaia was outraged, could not be consoled and called Zeus as a judge, who “punished” Apollo and imposed on him the duty of predicting people’s fate.

What's the connection here? The serpent guarded the place, devoured people, and Apollo predicted the future and attracted people. Apparently, the legend reflects matriarchal and patriarchal ties. And it refers to the period when patriarchy gained its strength, i.e. Maternal law and women's cults were replaced by the cult of the supreme gods - men (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades).

The name itself, Apollo, is also mysterious. Scientists have not yet revealed the secret of its origin.

In early times, Apollo was not such a radiant god. He was associated with light, the sun, with the cult of death, with the afterlife.

Why did Apollo choose this particular gorge, this particular slope of Mount Parnassus?

Why are there so many different cults in this place?
And why is Delphi the navel of the earth?

Every stone, every name in Delphi carries historical and cultural meaning.

By the way, in the town of Delphi, where we stopped for the night, the names of all hotels are named after gods.

Strange legend

Of course, everyone knows the legend that one day Zeus decided to find out how big his lands were and released two eagles from the east and west. To be honest, the legend seems to me too simplified, adapted, something like a children's fairy tale, but without much meaning.

I see too many holes in this story: how could Zeus not know the size of his domains if he released eagles from different borders of his domains? If you know where the boundaries of the territory are, then these are the dimensions.

The eagles flew for a long time and met in Delphi. Delphi is the middle of the world. Zeus threw a stone here and thus marked the navel of the earth. This famous Stone is called Omphalus. It is located in Delphi on the territory of the Sanctuary of Apollo.

From numerous articles and books on this topic, I was surprised to learn that some authors call this stone itself the navel of the earth. Actually, the navel is a serious matter! Without a doubt, this is a place of power. It connects the mother and the already living, but not yet born child. I can understand that a terrible serpent guards such an important place, but how can a stone that can be dragged from place to place serve as a connection between the born-unborn, the hidden and the manifest?

Some articles say that omphalos closes the navel of the earth. There are also stories in which the omphalos is a stone lying in the place where the serpent Python is buried. According to legend, the snake was killed near the Kastalsky spring. But there is no stone there. Another problem.

Places of power

People of different beliefs and religions, curious travelers and explorers of the mysterious, those who are sick and asking are looking for places of power on our planet.

In addition to Delphi, there is another place in Greece called the navel of the earth - the Temple of Demeter in the city of Enna in the center of Sicily.

This place is also connected with the visible and invisible world, manifested and unmanifested. Hades, the underground god, kidnapped Persephone in this place. The earth parted, and Hades' chariot carried Persephone to the kingdom of the dead.

In the main temple of the Christian world in Israel, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Resurrection of Christ) in Jerusalem, exactly under the dome, on a special vase-stand, a marble hemisphere is placed, indicating the place called “mesomphalos” - “navel of the Earth”. In this place the son of God died and was resurrected.

In Kazakhstan, the village of Urguntas is the Mountain of Reason. From the tour company’s prospectus: “In the village of Ungurtas near Mount Reason, amazing things are happening. In this place everyone finds what they are looking for.”

There are many ancient caves in Urguntas; there is a stone here that marks the navel of the earth.

The concept of the Navel of the Earth is among the Indians, Yakuts, Hindus, Finns, and Russians.

Where is the Navel of the Earth and what is omphalos

And what is in the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi?

The Encyclopedia of Mythology says: Whether we are talking about the human or cosmic navel, it is denoted by one word (cf. Russian navel, German Nabel, English navel, other Greek "ομφαλός, other Indian nabhi). Special sacredness P. z. is explained by its connection with the ancestral place, with the fact that it bears a trace of the origin of man, the universe (expanding after the explosion: cf. Old -Ind. nabh-, “explode”, “burst”) and the earth ( in some Central Asian traditions it grows around P. z. as its center)

Wikipedia: The navel of the Earth is a cosmological concept of the center of the world in various religious and mythological traditions. Omphalus (ancient Greek ὀμφαλός - navel) is an ancient cult object (baitil) in Delphi, considered the Navel of the Earth. Omphalus is a stone on which there are decorations in the form of ribbons entwining it.”

The shape of the omphalos is a hemisphere. At Delphi, this stone was decorated with sculptures of two eagles.

Now this omphalos is kept in the museum of the archaeological site.

But in the open area of ​​the site there is another stone - also omphalos in shape. Among the photographs that decorated our hotel room was one depicting this particular stone. The shape is a hemisphere. Stone on a pedestal. We didn't see any signs nearby. What kind of stone?!

It is interesting that many authors attach photographs of this stone as an illustration to the same legend about Zeus and eagles.

Conclusion: there are no ribbons or images of eagles on this omphale. So it's a different stone.

There is another legend in Delphi. About the stone associated with the birth of Zeus. This omphalos is also kept in the territory of the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.

As you know, the father of Zeus, Kronos, was fertile, but he was afraid that his children would deprive him of his power, so every time his wife Gaia (the Earth goddess) gave birth to another child, Kronos devoured the child. All the numerous offspring of Kronos were securely stored within himself. If we take into account that Kronos or Chronos is time, then the children moved from one non-existence to another timelessness.

The goddess could not stand it and after the birth of Zeus, she placed a stone for her husband instead of a newborn baby. Kronos swallowed the stone. Gaia hid Zeus in a cave on Crete. For the time being, Zeus grew there and gained strength. Then he appeared before his father, defeated him, ripped open his stomach and released all his brothers and sisters into the world.

It seems that the omphalos standing in the open area of ​​the archaeological site is this very stone. He is associated with Gaia, Chronos, being-non-being, the womb, death and life.

• Which stone did Zeus throw?
• Why did Zeus keep the stone from his father's womb?
• Why did he give this stone for safekeeping in Delphi?
• What is located in Delphi from a mystical point of view?
• And what does this navel, located in Delphi, connect? (After all, the purpose of the navel in humans and animals is not at all to indicate to the curious where the middle of the body is located).

Naturally, I don’t have a clear answer to these questions. I think that after visiting Delphi and seeing everything with your own eyes, you will find your answers. Or simply feel the power of this strange and wonderful place.

And we will return to the story of Apollo.
So Apollo chose Delphi. In those days the place was called differently - Python. The name is associated with the name of the serpent Python. Hence the Pythia and the Pythian games, but more on that later.

For final approval, Apollo had to fight for a place with Hercules and Dionysus. As a result, Apollo and Dionysus entered into an alliance. Apollo lived in Delphi during the warm season, and for the winter he went to Hyperborea, the land of eternal spring. During the winter months, the rule of Dionysus began in Delphi. In the temple of Apollo there was an image of Dionysus.

In ancient times, the sanctuary of Apollo served various functions. It was a place of worship, a place where pilgrims flocked to hear predictions, a place where sports competitions took place - the Pythian Games (one of the 4 main places for competition of athletes in strength, along with the Olympic Games), a place of political influence, the greatest treasury and "bank" "of the ancient world, a place where people came for healing (this is evidenced by the buildings dedicated to the healing god Asclepius (Roman name - Aesculapius) and the god Hypnos.

Now the sanctuary of Apollo is an archaeological park. But only. Fortunately, we did not see any tourist pilgrims raising their hands to the sky, wishing for strength, health or fulfillment of desires. Everything is cultural, calm, interesting without ecstasies, euphoria and sacrifices.

This is where I will finish my review on the history of the origin of the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi. The next article contains information about other attractions, the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, the Pythia, the treasury of the Athenians, Pythian games, performances. About the museum, exhibits and opening hours.