In the footsteps of Alexander the Great

 


Pythia was the name of the priestess presiding at the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. There are more than 500 statements which have survived from various sources referring to the oracle at Delphi. The priestess was located in the lower chamber of the temple and was seated on a tripod like throne with 3 legs that was placed over a crack in the rock from which emitted gases that caused a hallucinogenic state and this was augmented by the burning of laurel leaves which induced a different kind of high to augment the readings. 

Only men were allowed to ask questions of the oracle and only after giving appropriate offerings.  People came far and wide to ask the priestess for her advice and the prophecies were admired for the cleverness of the phrasing. 


Early in his reign around 300 BC, a young Alexander the Great went to Delphi to consult the oracle on his proposed campaign against Persia. Unfortunately he arrived in November during a time when the oracle had ceased consultation for the year and he was asked to come back another time. This angered Alexander who forcibly dragged the oracle out by her hair and dragged her to the Temple Mount for his consultation. Under duress the oracle is said to have simply declared: “boy with your strength you are invincible”.  This was not a true oracle but was enough to satisfy Alexander and people believe the success of his future campaigns was evidence of this or more likely it gave him the confidence he needed at an early age to think he was invincible and have no fear which led to his many victories in battle. Either way it cemented the legend of Delphi as a place of great wisdom.


We arrived in Delphi late in the afternoon yesterday after passing through the town of Amfissa, a town which George noted was famous for “1000 ways to cook lamb”, making our way on twisty narrow roads with soaring mountain peaks layered with the green hues of cypress, cedar and majestic firs not unlike the forests we have on the west coast of Canada where we live.  Eventually we made our way down to a lush valley filled with olive trees as far as your could see in all directions.  George called the valley the valley of olives (not it’s real name) and said that there were over 1.5 million olive trees in the valley which had been cultivated for thousands of years, I believe this given the width of the trunks some of which were over 4 feet in diameter. The oldest olive tree in Greece is said to be 3,500 years old and is still bearing fruit so these are incredible organisms that have been silent witnesses to most of recorded history.


We stopped at a viewpoint to take a photo of the valley of olives before climbing the final hill into the town which is organized like a typical Greek mountain town, with parallel streets following the topography of the hillside.  Pretty much all of the buildings in the town had been transformed into hotels or restaurants, or both, all now serving a different kind of oracle, tourism; driven by the main attraction, one of the most significant archaeological sites in Greece, and second most visited destination after the Acropolis in Athens, the temple complex of Apollo.  Delphi gets it name from a legend of Apollo who arrived at this spot on a flood by way of riding on a pair of Dolphins and translated literally means “arrive by Dolphin”.


Unpacking in our hotel on the Main Street, we took a quick shower and headed to dinner at the restaurant George had booked for us.  What a view!  Unfortunately we had eaten far too much at our lunch that afternoon in Meteora but we still had an amazing meal sampling the local area cheeses and wine.


We met our guide Georgia at the entrance to the museum at 9am to try to beat the days heat and started our tour.  Georgia was engaging and patient as we learned about the significant site and it’s importance to not only Greece but also to neighbouring Macedonia and modern day Turkey as people came from far and wide as the legend of the oracle spread.  As it’s reputation grew, Delphi became a city-state not in like the modern day Vatican and was protected by a number of larger Greek cities although it had the capability to defend itself with its own extensive armoury that was needed to guard the treasure accumulated from the offerings brought by wealthy individuals seeking the oracles counsel and advice. 


The complex consisted of a number of “Treasuries” essentially storage buildings located at the entrance next to the Agora, or marketplace where one could buy offerings to place in the various parts of the complex if one didn’t have enough funds to visit the actual oracle. 


At its height Delphi became a sort of large Trophy complex where the spoils of major battles  were displayed.  Particularly impressive was the statue of the Phoenix, mythical bird that was a symbol of renewal and rebirth.  Georgia explained that the dawn song of the Phoenix was so beautiful that the sun god Apollo would stop his chariot, and the turning of the sun itself to listen.  The Phoenix was said to guard the fountain of youth said to be located in this valley and would question a man approaching it with a riddle, if the riddle was correctly answered, one could pass and if not, your fate was sealed and you would be eaten whole. To make her point, standing under the gaze of the amazingly well preserved Phoenix that was unearthed at the site, Georgia gave us an example of such a riddle which no one in our group solved so we would have all perished. 


See if you can solve it.


What creature walks on 4 legs in the morning, 2 legs in the afternoon and 3 legs at night?


If you know the answer enter into the comments and you have gotten past the Phoenix.


As in the Acropolis museum, the exhibits were first class and some highlights included the deciphering of writing on one of the temple walls that turned out to be some of the earliest song lyrics ever discovered - you can actually listen to the song on YouTube on this link here: https://youtu.be/1eCk8eI28ZU as well as an amazing discovery of a statue covered in sheets of gold, a wooden statue of a bull covered in sheets of beaten silver and a single life size bronze statute that was part of a 4 horse full size bronze creation. 


These items were preserved from looting by the fact that the temple was built in an area with frequent earthquakes which had resulted in some eras being buried and therefore preserved and the fact that a village had been built over the site of the original temple. The residents of this village had to bought out in the 1950’s when excavations began on the site. 

Emerging from the museum into the bright sunshine, the walk to the Temple complex is a short stroll on a path lined with cypress trees filled with the ubiquitous din of the cicadas.  It’s easy to imagine the past glory of the site as you pass through the Agora, the shopkeepers stalls divided by columns and the path leading uphill past the various Treasury buildings, one of which was almost completely restored due to the fact it was the only one made from marble easily distinguished from the other limestone blocks which made up the majority of the structures on the site.  


The temple complex was one part worship, one part showcase with the spoils of great battles recorded for posterity and one part record repository, with literally thousands of names of slaves freed from their masters recorded for proof of their newfound freedom carved into the stone with amazing precision on the extensive retaining walls that supported the main bass of the temple.  


Sadly not much of the original temple remains but the theatre and stadium are well preserved.  The walk uphill is not for the faint of heart in the heat of summer and takes about 45 minutes but the views of the complex from above and the valley vistas are well worth the effort.  


After a full morning of touring we headed out on the 3 hour journey back to the Athens airport passing through the charming and picturesque ski resort village of Arachova and stopping for a final lunch at a local restaurant in Livada, famous for its mountain springs to literally eat farm-to-table with all of the food served coming from the property of the family that owned the restaurant.  George totally aced all of the food choices and if we could rate him 6 stars we would, he has been a reliable, patient and knowledgeable companion for our Greek adventure and without hesitation I would recommend his agency Enjoy Greece Tours for anyone looking for a guided experience in this country. 


Well the last 4 days have been a whirlwind of culture, history and knowledge, we are now fully acclimated to our new time zone and ready for the official start of our African adventure.  


Next stop Kigali, Rwanda! 



























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