Historical Background
Situated on the side of Mount Parnassus in central Greece, Delphi was a religious, panhellenic sanctuary known as the belly-button of the ancient world. This location was discovered, according to myth, when Zeus sent two eagles to fly from separate directions towards each other. They met at Delphi, then determined to be the navel of the earth. The site of Delphi was inhabited by Iron Age cults, and material evidence of 9th century bronze figurines has been recovered. Though there are additional traces of Poseidon being worshipped on the site, the sanctuary would shift to the worship of the god Apollo.
The founding of the cult of Apollo at Delphi has many origin theories, one which is discussed in the Homeric Hymn …show more content…
In the early 6th century, Kirrha, a nearby port city, began to interfere with hopeful consultants journeying to Delphi. A Sacred War was declared on Kirrha by Delphi and surrounding cities, and Kirrha was destroyed. After this Sacred War, the Pythian Games developed to include athletic competition, quadrennial games. Previously, the Pythian Games had consisted of music competitions, but the site grew to be very prosperous as athletics, arts, and the oracle drew crowds to the slopes of Parnassus. From the 7th century BCE, the local economy thrived as these activities continued to entice crowds to Delphi. Due to the sanctuary's isolation from the large urban centers of Greece, lodging and sacrifices were both needed. In addition to the economic boom associated with this ancient tourism, the gifts and dedications of elites also funneled wealth and prosperity into the …show more content…
One addition was a processional route, known as the Sacred Way, which led consultations from the sanctuary's entrance up to the Temple and the oracle. Along this pathway, multiple edifices and votive statues were placed on the upward slope of the mountain, overlooking the verdurous valley and framing the path to the priestess. These buildings and statues were votives and treasuries built by cities and peoples as gifts to Delphi, and they were elegantly and expensively decorated with sculpture and inscriptions. One building, the Siphnian Treasury, was built to hold the Siphnian peoples' gifts to Delphi. They commissioned fine sculptures, including intricate friezes of the ancient myth of the gods fighting the giants, and caryatid columns at the treasury's entrance. This ostentatious design was characteristic of the treasuries and votives that lined the Sacred Way, as visiting states competed with one another for the boldest and most precious
Situated on the side of Mount Parnassus in central Greece, Delphi was a religious, panhellenic sanctuary known as the belly-button of the ancient world. This location was discovered, according to myth, when Zeus sent two eagles to fly from separate directions towards each other. They met at Delphi, then determined to be the navel of the earth. The site of Delphi was inhabited by Iron Age cults, and material evidence of 9th century bronze figurines has been recovered. Though there are additional traces of Poseidon being worshipped on the site, the sanctuary would shift to the worship of the god Apollo.
The founding of the cult of Apollo at Delphi has many origin theories, one which is discussed in the Homeric Hymn …show more content…
In the early 6th century, Kirrha, a nearby port city, began to interfere with hopeful consultants journeying to Delphi. A Sacred War was declared on Kirrha by Delphi and surrounding cities, and Kirrha was destroyed. After this Sacred War, the Pythian Games developed to include athletic competition, quadrennial games. Previously, the Pythian Games had consisted of music competitions, but the site grew to be very prosperous as athletics, arts, and the oracle drew crowds to the slopes of Parnassus. From the 7th century BCE, the local economy thrived as these activities continued to entice crowds to Delphi. Due to the sanctuary's isolation from the large urban centers of Greece, lodging and sacrifices were both needed. In addition to the economic boom associated with this ancient tourism, the gifts and dedications of elites also funneled wealth and prosperity into the …show more content…
One addition was a processional route, known as the Sacred Way, which led consultations from the sanctuary's entrance up to the Temple and the oracle. Along this pathway, multiple edifices and votive statues were placed on the upward slope of the mountain, overlooking the verdurous valley and framing the path to the priestess. These buildings and statues were votives and treasuries built by cities and peoples as gifts to Delphi, and they were elegantly and expensively decorated with sculpture and inscriptions. One building, the Siphnian Treasury, was built to hold the Siphnian peoples' gifts to Delphi. They commissioned fine sculptures, including intricate friezes of the ancient myth of the gods fighting the giants, and caryatid columns at the treasury's entrance. This ostentatious design was characteristic of the treasuries and votives that lined the Sacred Way, as visiting states competed with one another for the boldest and most precious