Delphi

The ancient Greeks believed Delphi to be the centre of the world and for anyone interested in classical Greek sites the ruins of Delphi are not to be missed.



The legend claims a gap in the earth up in the mountains of Southern Greece gave forth vapours which purified people who inhaled them. These people then became able to predict the future and so an oracle was established on the site, originally to the goddess Earth but later to the god Apollo. A temple was built where the mysterious “exhalations” had emanated and inscribed on the temple was one of the most famous of all Greek maxims “Know thyself ”.

In antiquity people flocked to Delphi to consult the oracle about everything from whether they should marry to whether or not to go to war and the pronouncements were made through a priestess in the temple whose answers were often ambiguous. A whole city grew up around the oracle with a stadium dedicated to Apollo where games were held and a theatre both high up on the cliff, and the ancient oracle was at the height of its influence and fame between the 7th and 6th century B.C. The Greek tragedies of Euripides and Sophocles often hinged on the legend of the oracle of Delphi and most Greek Art and Literature of antiquity involves the legend of the oracle in one way or another.

Today the location of the ruins of Delphi is one of the most panoramic and awesome spots you’ll ever see in Greece with beautiful valleys of olive trees on terraced slopes climbing up to impressive bare cliffs and hewn rocks. There are said to be eagles which fly overhead and with the constantly changing light, stunning scenery and magnificent sunrises and sunsets the location seems naturally designed for a cult of clairvoyants and mysterious manifestations!

The best way for the modern traveller to reach Delphi is the land route from Athens – there are many coach trips and excursion tours which can take in the whole site in one day. The more discerning visitor however might like to stay a night or two in hotel accommodation near the archaeological site to fully appreciate the atmosphere and explore the ruins at a more leisurely pace.

The lower site contains a beautiful round Doric temple called “The Tholos” set in a peaceful olive grove environment while the upper site contains the Sanctuary of Apollo and a steep path which winds up to the theatre and stadium at the top of the cliff. Above the ruins in the cliffs the Kastalian Spring gushes out from a ravine. To explore the upper site involves a lot of climbing in sometimes hot and dusty conditions and can be quite exhausting – you may want to recover by sitting under the plane trees which shade the stream of the Kastalian Spring and drinking its exceptional water!

There is also a museum to visit which houses the sanctuary’s treasures, the most famous of which is probably The Bronze Charioteer; a life-size figure and one of only a few remaining from the classical era. The Bronze Charioteer has won the chariot race at Delphi’s Games and has a winner’s ribbon round his head. His eyes are spectacular and are made of white enamel with brown and black onyx and tiny bronze wires for eyelashes! His tousled hair seems to cling to his neck as if fresh with perspiration from the exertions of the race. He has an expression of subtle triumph on his face and looks like he might start talking to you any minute!

In the early 1980’s I visited Delphi on an excursion trip from Athens. We travelled there in a coach with other British and English speaking tourists and had an English speaking Greek tour guide to show us around the ruins. The first thing that struck me as we tumbled out of our coach was how exquisitely beautiful and isolated the natural location was and I wondered how on earth the ancient Greeks had managed to transport materials and build monuments in such a remote and elevated spot. After exploring the lower site we checked into a hotel which had magnificent views overlooking the gorge and valleys and slopes below and watched the sun set from our balcony. The colours of the sunset were stunning and among the best I’ve ever seen in Greece, with the rocks and landscape changing fast from bright coral to deep purple.

The next day we got up early to explore the upper site on our own, before the other tourists rose and before the coach loads of other sightseers. It was a memorable experience to be up there in the early morning of a beautiful summer’s day surrounded by olive and cypress trees and it was easy to forget the present and imagine the ghosts of the past. By lunchtime we felt we’d seen all we wanted to see of the ancient ruins and museum and returned to our hotel for a late lunch where I was introduced to the delights of stuffed vine leaves (little parcels of cooked vine leaves filled with rice, herbs and other edible things) and stuffed tomatoes.

We washed down our lunch with some surprisingly good local red wine (to recover from our strenuous sightseeing) and we ate and drank outside gazing at the magnificent scenery and panoramic views around us. Then it was time to leave and we boarded the coach for the long trip back to Athens. I shall never forget my visit to Delphi and the memory of my brief time there will stay with me forever. When the French School of Archaeology began excavations at the site in the 1890’s they uncovered one of the greatest Classical Greek sites of all and most visitors to mainland Greece today wouldn’t want to miss it for the world. And the mysterious ancient oracle gave me some great advice to take back with me to the modern world “know thyself ”!

Roberta Crookes has worked as a newspaper journalist throughout most of her life, writing news stories, editorial features, advertisement supplements, and reviews. And in the course of her work she has interviewed many famous people from all walks of life. She has also managed to combine parallel careers in both journalism and acting, and, being Welsh speaking from North Wales, her main television featured parts have been Welsh language roles with BBC Wales.