Delphi in Greece

Located about six miles (10 km) from the Gulf of Corinth in the territory of Phoics in Greece, Delphi is situated between two towering rocks of Mount Parnassus known as the Phaidriades (Shining) Rocks.

The site contained the sanctuary of Apollo, the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia — meaning, “Athena who is before the temple (of Apollo)” — and various other buildings, most of which were intended for sports, such as the gymnasium used for exercise and learning.

When visitors approached Delphi, the first structure they saw was the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia (hence its name). This sanctuary contained the most characteristic monument at Delphi: the Tholos, a circular building with a conical roof supported by a ring of outer columns.

Visitors would then walk along the Sacred Way, a path to the sanctuary of Apollo that was lined with treasuries and votive monuments. Given that Delphi was a pan-Hellenic sanctuary, it was not controlled byany one Greek city-state and instead was a sanctuary for all Greeks — city-states constructed the treasuries as offerings to Apollo and to show off their power and wealth.

Who Built Delphi?

Priests from Knossos (on Crete) brought the cult of Apollo to Delphi in the 8th century B.C., during which time they began developing the sanctuary to the god.

They built the first stone temples to Apollo and Athena towards the end of the 7th century B.C.

However, Delphi’s history appears to stretch back much further.

Archaeological evidence suggests a Mycenaean (1600–1100 B.C.) settlement and cemetery once existed within the sanctuary area. Around 1400 B.C., Delphi may have held a sanctuary devoted to the deity Gaea or Athena that was destroyed by a rock fall at the end of the Bronze Age.

Though its use diminished considerably with the rise of the philosophical movement of Rationalism in the 3rd century BC, the site was mostly destroyed by Byzantine emperor Theodosius I in 394 BC. And the rise of Christianity saw the site demolished even further. It was only in 1891 that archaeological research started, headed by the French School of Athens, with the blessing of the Greek government, and from then on, many things were discovered, including the two Delphic sanctuaries. The Treasury of the Athenians was the onlymonument to be reconstructed completely, which took place from 1903-1906, and the Altar of the Chians, the temple of Apollo, and the Tholos were all partially restored.

The Delphi Archaeological Museum, at the foot of the impressive complex, is definitely worth a visit as it houses an outstanding collection of artifacts from the site.