Delphi's Presence In Ancient Greek Culture

Historically significant archeological sites around the world tell a story of a past culture and looks deep into their most religious philosophies. The archeological site of Delphi fits the description better than most in terms of being very prominent in a past culture. This is the place where the oracle of Apollo spoke and was the site of omphalos, the ‘naval of the world’ (Partida). Being the center of the world was one of the many things that made this site so important to the ancient Greeks or anyone who was lucky enough to come and speak with the oracle. Excavations, that began officially in 1892, of the site, now go on to give the modern world the best look it can into what it may have looked like during that time. Many archeologists have been extremely excited to get out and conduct excavations at such a …show more content…
The story behind Delphi, a prefect example, was that Zeus released two eagles, one at the eastern edge and one at the western edge of the world. They met at Delphi and the spot was marked with the omphalos (“navel”), the stone that his mother Rhea used to deceive Kronos, who had a nasty habit of swallowing his offspring (“Delphi. The Sanctuary” 2). With its story and fame spreading throughout what is not Europe, many would come from across the then greek world to consult with the oracle. Even the Pharaoh of Egypt and the kings of Lydia ventured over to receive advice and counsel. Which in turn made those who called Delphi home very informed about the world. An example to show how well the Oracle did would have to be when a king of Lydia, Croesus, sent out gifts and pleasantries with ambassadors to find the “best” oracle. To the credit of the Pythia (the name of the oracle at Delphi), it was to guess what the king was presently doing. Which turned out to be “that he was making a stew of lamb and tortoise in a bronze bowl”