The Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi was the religious center of the Greek world and reached its Golden Age from the 6th to the 4th century B.C.
As a crowning touch, it was considered to be the geographic center of the earth: a conical stone, called omphalos (or navel), probably inherited from ancient cults, was believed to mark the spot where two
eagles met, whom Zeus had sent forth from the opposite ends of the earth to fly toward each other.
It is certainly the most awe inspiring site I visited.
(On the picture: The Apollo site (Video hosted on Google.) All that has survived of the sanctuary of Apollo Deiradiotes or Pythios is a monumental staircase cut in the rock and an altar. Remains of a Byzantine basilica are visible SE of the altar. On a higher terrace to the east, there is a rectangular building with an internal colonnade (an oracle ?) and on a third terrace, the foundations of a building with a covered cistern (Asklepieion ?). Further south, on a lower terrace, are preserved the remains of a tholos, possibly identified as the sanctuary of Athena Oxyderkes. The sanstuary is locaded on the hill of Profitis Ilias, in Argos. Evidence of religious activity at the site exists as early as the Archaic period (6th century B.C.), but most of the surviving monuments were built during the 4th century B.C. According to inscriptions, the sanctuary was repaired twice, in the 4th-3rd centuries B.C. and in the early Roman Imperial period (1st century A.D.). The basilica SE of the altar was built in the Early Christian period (5th century A.D.) and was replaced by a larger church in the Byzantine period (10th century A.D.). Today the monumental staircase and the area in front of it are used for cultural events. The site was excavated by the French School of Archaeology at Athens at the beginning of the century. The medieval structures have destroyed the earlier buildings, leaving in place only their foundations or carvings in the rock. The finds date from the period between 8th century B.C. and the Byzantine times (10th century A.D.).
 Apollo Apollo was a gifted musician who delighted the gods with his performance on the lyre. He was also a master archer and a fleet-footed athlete, credited with having been the first victor in the ancient Olympic Games. His twin sister, Artemis, was the guardian of young women, and Apollo was the special protector of young men. He was also the god of agriculture and cattle and of light and truth. He taught humans the art of healing (see Asclepius).
Some tales depict Apollo as stern or cruel. According to Homer's Iliad, Apollo answered the prayers of the priest Chryses to obtain the release of his daughter from the Greek general Agamemnon by shooting fiery, pestilential arrows into the Greek army. He also abducted and ravished the young Athenian princess Creusa and abandoned her and the child born to them. Perhaps because of his beauty, Apollo was represented in ancient art more frequently than any other deity.
On the picture: Apollo Belvedere
The Apollo Belvedere, a marble copy of a Greek bronze from the 4th century bc, is the most important surviving representation of the god Apollo. The statue is in the Vatican's collection in Rome.
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
