BSA Course Day 9 - Delphi

Weather: Hot and sunny, 32 degrees with storms and rain in the afternoon

Step count: 6802 (which is everything but Delphi as my watch ran out of charge!)

There were no complaints for another 8am start as we were all looking forward to a visit to the sanctuary of Delphi. With overnight bags packed, as we were staying in Livadeia afterwards, we settled into the three-hour journey. As the scenery changed from plains to hills to the rocky peaks of the Parnassian Mountains I couldn't help but think about how arduous a trek it would have been for pilgrims and visitors to Delphi to reach the site, feeling very grateful for modern transportation!

What immediately struck me on arrival was how well the remains of the site blended in to the surrounding landscape, which may have been very different for those arriving at the height of the popularity of the sanctuary. We learned how the entrance to the Sacred Way would have shone with the bronze of the statue groups placed by the Athenians and the Spartans, setting the scene for the constant monumentalised one-upmanship between city-states united by a common language, religion, history and mythology but ironically divided by another shared characteristic; a competitive nature. We considered the spatial politics of the placement of monuments, and how important it was to have a presence at the site, particularly for those on the fringes of the Greek world.

Walking the Sacred Way at the hottest part of the day, with next to no shade, we gained an appreciation of what a multi-sensory experience it would have been for visitors consulting the oracle, gathering around the treasuries and other monuments placed by their city-states, and heading ever higher to reach the stadium in which the Pythian Games were held on a four-yearly cycle along with those of Olympia, Isthmia and Nemea.

The view from the top was breathtaking, with the theatre, the temple of Apollo - where the Pythia once responded to questions from individuals and city-states alike - and the treasuries scattered on the hillside against the backdrop of the mountains in the distance.

After lunch we visited the Castalian Spring, in which competitors and pilgrims would have washed before entering the sanctuary (and from which we were told that water was being sold as a Covid cure during the pandemic!), and saw the temple of Athena and gymnasium located below, before the skies darkened and a sudden wind blew away the heat.

The museum provided a welcome refuge from the storm which arrived soon afterwards. I could have spent hours looking at the friezes from the Temple of Apollo, the statues from the stadium and numerous other remains from the countless treasuries scattered across the hillside. But I was particularly excited to come face to paws with my personal favourite the Naxian sphinx, with a well-timed clap of thunder adding to the dramatic impression of seeing this huge statue for the first time.

Placed by the island of Naxos, and sculpted from Naxian marble, she would have gazed down from her 12.5m high column on those proceeding along the Sacred Way towards the temple. She was carefully placed to be visible from across the sanctuary area, and would have appeared to visitors to be in alignment with the frieze of the temple. This was a not-so-subtle way of showing that the Naxians weren’t just a presence in the Greek world, but claimed affinity with, and practically wrote themselves into, the history and mythology of the site itself.

Another highlight was the omphalos stone, the ‘bellybutton’ of the ancient Mediterranean world, so called as Zeus was said to have released two eagles in opposite directions, and where they met was the centre of the world. This is a later copy of the original, and the decoration depicts the net that would have covered it.

No visit to Delphi would be complete without seeing The Charioteer, one of the few surviving classical bronze sculptures that wasn’t found in a shipwreck! It commemorates the winner of the chariot race, and opinion is divided as to whether he represents the likeness of the owner of the horses in the guise of the victorious charioteer, or the skilful charioteer himself.

With storms forecast for the rest of the afternoon, we huddled in the museum watching the downpours until a break in the clouds allowed a quick dash to the bus. Sound up for the video!

Whether bathed in sunlight or drenched with rain, Delphi has a magic all of its own. I will never forget my visit to this incredible place.

Our evening was spent at Livadeia, and we enjoyed a group meal next to the old watermills and waterfalls of the river Herkyna. A truly special day.

For further reading on the sanctuary, see Michael Scott's 'Delphi; A History of the Center of the Ancient World'.