Greece Part 2: Delphi

We woke up early one morning and were driven a couple hours to the town of Delphi in northwest Greece. In ancient times, Delphi was the seat of Pythia, the major oracle, who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world, and the Greeks considered the center of the world to be in Delphi. The site was excavated in the 19th century by French archaeologists, and is located in the side of a mountain. Starting this trek up the hill at the beginning of the site.

The first set of ruins was the sanctuary of Apollo. People of those times that that earth was the first divinity, and they worshipped earth from this site. But it was most known for where the cult of Apollo came to and the role played by the oracle in Delphi.

Next we came to the stoa, or gathering porch, from around the 4th century BC. The stoa was the only remnants left from the Agora, which is where meetings and trade took place. When people came to Delphi to seek the oracle’s guidance, they would enter through this stoa. 

Next was the Rock of Sibyl, which is where the first prophetess of Delphi, Sibyl Hierophile, stood to utter her oracles. It was said that she foresaw the fall of Troy, and this rock is considered the oldest cult place at Delphi.

This was a library, amazing how much of it still remained standing.

This was the stoa of King Attalus, from the 3rd century BC. 

View of the stoa as we headed up the hill.

At the top was the stadium

The stadium was built in the 5th century BC as a running track, to host the Pan Hellenic Pythian games, and spectators used to sit on the ground. Under Emperor Hadrian’s Roman Empire rule, in the 2nd century AD, the seats were added to the stadium. The Pythian games were held in this stadium, on the 5th day of a 6-8 day religious festival, and they were second in importance to the Olympic Games. 

It was impressive to see how well in tact it was!

View from the top of Delphi, heading back down the mountain.

Once we got down, we briefly visited the museum, then started making our way back towards Athens.

Delphi was a very interesting place to visit, and we enjoyed seeing the scenery along the drive as well.

We stopped for lunch at a quaint town called Arachova. In the winter it is a popular ski resort, and it was such a charming and picturesque place to stop and enjoy the views.

We got back to Athens mid-afternoon and decided to go see a couple sites nearby to our apartment, and we took one more trip to the stadium. It was so hot out, and the kids enjoyed Coca Cola slushies to end the day.

We had a great quick visit to Athens in Delphi…next stop, Rhodes!