The tenth book of the work Description of Greece by the traveler Pausanias (2nd century AD) is dedicated to Phocis; its larger part constitutes a description of the sanctuaries and buildings of Delphi. His work constituted a precious aid to travelers and archaeologists who attempted to identify the monuments revealed by the excavations, although in some cases their identifications were not enough.
A traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, Pausanias was most probably born in Lydia (Asia Minor) and wrote a very important work, the Description of Greece . It is a lengthy and detailed itinerary in ten books, describing the most important sites of the Peloponnese, Attica, Boeotia, and Phocis. According to the famous classicist James Frazer who wrote on Pausanias, "without him the ruins of Greece would be a labyrinth without a clue, a riddle without an answer". [1] He was mainly interested in monuments (particularly sculpture and painting) as well as their historical framework and the cults.
As in the rest of his books, in his description of Delphi Pausanias describes rituals, rites, customs and offers narrations with a historical and ethnographic background. Delphi are described in 38 chapters. The limit of his itinerary was the land of the Ozolian Locrians. The book was probably accomplished between 143 and 161 AD.
The detailed description of Pausanias was valuable to later scholarship and to the attempts at reconstructing the site. Although the treasures of Delphi had been looted by the Phoceans initially and by Roman emperors such as Nero later on, in Pausanias' times there were still enough monuments to admire and describe. He focuses on religious art and architecture. He is very detailed on the narration of the Oedipus myth, on the foundation of the oracle and temple of Apollo, on the Pythian Games and on the description of the ex votos. He also writes about historical events related to Delphi as well as about mythical events and scenes.
Of particular interest and value is the description of the Iliou Persis (Fall of Troy), the painting by Polygnotus which used to decorate the Lesche of the Cnidians. He describes in detail the composition and many attempts at modern reconstructions have been based on this description.
The description of the site of Delphi has the following structure:
Pausanias mentions that in the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia existed three temples (two of them empty of ex votos and statues), as well as a fourth one with a few statues of Roman emperors. He also mentions the Treasury of the Massaliots but, strangely enough, he does not mention the Tholos of Delphi, which had suffered damage from a fire in the 1st century BC, nor the Doric Treasury. He also mentions that next to the sanctuary lay a temple dedicated to the local hero Phylakos.
Yet, the picture which emerged from the excavations does not converge with Pausanias' testimony. For several years this divergence puzzled the scholars until in 1985 Didier Laroche proposed a new reading of Pausanias. This new interpretation was based on the fact that Pausanias followed a different itinerary than the usual one, whereas the Tholos could be "the temple hosting small number of portraits of Roman Emperors". In general, the picture offered by Pausanias is that of a sanctuary in decline, with buildings that did not attract large number of visitors and was generally not very well kept (a fact stressed also by Plutarch, who mentions that in his days the funds of the sanctuary were limited and thus the conservation and repair works were few and far between).
Pausanias refers to the Gymnasium, but he seems to be particularly interested in the myths related to the Castalia fountain and to the abundant waters of the region in general.
The ex voto of Phayllos of Croton from Croton (the base of the ex voto of the Crotoniats) mentioned by Pausanias was identified for years with the preserved base with an inscription mentioning the Crotoniats, but it has been proved now that this base belonged to another ex voto offered by the citizens of Croton for their victory over the Sybarites (510 BC).
The Bull of the Corcyreans was a large bronze ex voto of the citizens of Corfu in order to thank the god for an enormous catch of tuna fish made possible through a bull which averted them. He then goes on to describe the base of the Arcadians for their victory against the Lacaedemonians, the monument of Lysandros, the Lacaedemonian general for his victory against Athens, an impressive ex voto with the Dioskouroi, several gods, Lysandros himself, Agias who was his counsellor and some of his allies.
Pausanias also mentions that the Athenians, with the tithe from the booty of the Battle of Marathon, had dedicated an ex voto comprising the statues of Athena, Apollo, Miltiades and the mythical kings of Athens. Similar was also the ex voto of the Argives, which comprised their leaders who had followed Polynikes at the war of the Seven against Thebes.
Then, Pausanias mentions the base of the Tarentines, who had dedicated bronze horses and statues of women in captivity, in order to commemorate their victory against the Messapians. He goes on to describe the treasuries, starting from the Sicyonian Treasury and continuing with the Siphnian, Theban, Athenian, and Cnidian treasuries. In between he describes also the base of the sculpted ex voto of the Cnidians as well as the ex voto of the Lipareans. It is obvious that he was mostly attracted by sculpture and less by architecture. However, he is most detailed in his description of the Stoa of the Athenians, whereas he pays special mention to the Sibyl rock, an outcrop of rock between the Athenian Treasury and the Stoa of the Athenians.
In chapters 14 and 15 he returns to his favourite sculpture, enumerating several statues which would nowadays be completely unknown, among which Apollo of Salamis and the statue of Phryne, made by Praxiteles. He then writes about the omphalos, which he describes made of white marble. It is, however, not very clear which is actually the omphalos he describes. He includes a series of smaller statues and ex votos, also lost today.
After a lengthy narration of the attacks of the Gauls against Delphi, he goes on to describe the Temple of Apollo. He describes the representations on the pediments and the interior of the temple, speaking about the altar of Poseidon. Very detailed is also the description of the Lesche of the Knidians and particularly, as mentioned above, of the painting of the "Capture of Troy" by Polygnotus. Finally, Pausanias refers to the Stadium and the Theatre of Delphi, with which he finished the description of the sanctuary.
Delphi, in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle was international in character and also fostered sentiments of Greek nationality, even though the nation of Greece was centuries away from realization. The ancient Greeks considered the centre of the world to be in Delphi, marked by the stone monument known as the omphalos (navel). The sacred precinct was in the region of Phocis, but its management had been taken away from the Phocians, who were trying to extort money from its visitors, and had been placed in the hands of an amphictyony, or committee of persons chosen mainly from Central Greece. According to the Suda, Delphi took its name from the Delphyne, the she-serpent (drakaina) who lived there and was killed by the god Apollo.
Polygnotus was an ancient Greek painter from the middle of the 5th century BC.
Lycosura was a city in the ancient Parrhasia region of south Arcadia said by Pausanias to be the oldest city in the world, although there is no evidence for its existence before the fourth century BCE. Its current significance is chiefly associated with the sanctuary of the goddess Despoina, which contained a colossal sculptural group that Pausanias wrote was made by Damophon of Messene. This group comprises acrolithic-technique statues of Despoina and Demeter seated on a throne, with statues of Artemis and the Titan Anytos standing on either side of them – all in Pentelic marble. The dates of both the temple and the sculptural group have occasioned some dispute. Remains of a stoa, altars, and other structures have been found at the site as well. The Sanctuary of Despoina at Lycosoura is located 9 km WSW of Megalopolis, 6.9 km SSE of Mount Lykaion, and 160 km SW of Athens. There is a small museum at the archaeological site housing small finds as well as part of the cult group, while the remains of the cult statues of Despoina and Demeter are displayed at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
The Stoa of the Athenians is an ancient portico in the Delphic Sanctuary, Greece, located south of the Temple of Apollo. The southern side of the polygonal wall of the platform forms the north wall of the stoa. It was constructed c. 478 BC-470 BC during the early Classical period. The one-aisled stoa with Ionic colonnade opens toward the southeast. It was dedicated by the Athenians after the Persian Wars.
Delphi Archaeological museum is one of the principal museums of Greece and one of the most visited. It is operated by the Greek Ministry of Culture. Founded in 1903, it has been rearranged several times and houses the discoveries made at the Panhellenic sanctuary of Delphi, which date from the Late Helladic (Mycenean) period to the early Byzantine era.
Lesche is an Ionic Greek word, signifying council or conversation, and a place for council or conversation. There is frequent mention of places of public resort, in the Greek cities, by the name of leschai, some set apart for the purpose, and others so called because they were so used by loungers; to the latter class belong the agora and its porticoes, the gymnasia, and the shops of various tradesmen, especially those of the smiths, which were frequented in winter on account of their warmth, and in which, for the same reason, the poor sought shelter for the night.
The Athenian Treasury at Delphi was constructed by the Athenians to house dedications and votive offerings made by their city and citizens to the sanctuary of Apollo. The entire treasury including its sculptural decoration is built of Parian marble. The date of construction is disputed, and scholarly opinions range from 510 to 480 BCE. It is located directly below the Temple of Apollo along the Sacred Way for all visitors to view the Athenian treasury on the way up to the sanctuary.
The Dancers of Delphi, also known as the Acanthus Column, are three figures in high relief on top of an acanthus column found near the sanctuary of Pythian Apollo at Delphi. They are on display in the Delphi Archaeological Museum and were the inspiration for the first of Claude Debussy's Préludes.
The Lesche of the Knidians was a Lesche, i.e. a club or meeting place, at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, it is one of those structures there that was destroyed in their most part. Today, the only surviving parts are some architectural relics. It hosted two famous paintings by the famous painter Polygnotus the Thasian, namely the Capture of Troy and the Nekyia. It was built in the second quarter of the 5th century B.C. Apparently a rectangular building bearing a clerestory along its western side and possibly had a tripartite interior arrangement. In the 4th century along its southern side was added a wall for placing ex votos.
The Temple of Athena Pronaia was a temple at the ancient site of Delphi, in the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, a group of buildings comprising temples and treasuries as well as the famous Tholos of Delphi. There were in fact three successive temples built at the site. The earlier temples (38°28′49″N22°30′30″E), referred to as A and B, were built in the 7th and 6th centuries BC respectively and were made of porous stone; a third temple (38°28′49″N22°30′28″E) was built of limestone in the 4th century BC, although it is not certain that it actually was dedicated to Athena this time.
The stele of Prusias is one of the ex votos at the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, constructed in honour of king Prusias II of Bithynia.
The Treasury of the Sicyonians is one of the buildings within the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi. It has a long and complicated history. The treasury itself replaced two former buildings, namely the tholos and the monopteros, built by the same city at an earlier stage within the 6th century. The earlier buildings were related to the Orthagorids of Sicyon and particularly to the victories of the tyrant Cleisthenes of Sicyon in the course of the First Sacred War and their replacement probably marks the change in tide in Sicyonian politics.
Archaeological investigation in Delphi started in the second half of the 19th century, but it was not until 1892 when a systematic excavation began under the direction of Théophile Homolle and the French Archaeological School of Athens. The "Great Excavation" lasted 10 years and was concluded by the creation of the first museum on-site. In the years to follow, the site never ceased to be excavated and investigated. Several of the monuments were restored and new interpretations continue to see the light in the academic field.
Cnidus was represented at the Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi by the Treasury of the Cnidians of the late Archaic period and by a late Classical period building, called "Lesche", a kind of club for social gatherings.
After the naval Battle of Aegospotami, the Lacedaemonians dedicated a majestic ex voto in Delphi.
The Halos was a round open space close to the temple of Apollo in Delphi, where ancient rituals were being performed.
One of the important ex votos of the Greek cities in the sanctuary of Delphi was the bronze sculpted ex voto of the Italian city of Tarentum in commemoration of their victory against the Messapians.
The city of Argos dedicated several ex votos within the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi. It was, after all, one of the most powerful cities of the archaic and classical period.
Several Hellenistic kings dedicated monuments in the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi, in an effort to emphasize their prestige. Among those kings were the Attalids of Pergamon, who occupied a prominent position at the highest point of the Sacred Way, close to the temple of Apollo where they erected their ex votos.
Behind the column with the Dancers of Delphi was situated the Athenian Treasury, where was located the famous ex voto of Daochos, a long marble base where stood nine statues, eight of which represented members of Daochos' family and one a god, probably Apollo. Daochos II, son of Agias, a politician from Pharsalus and supporter of Macedonia, was a hieromnemon at the delphic sanctuary from 336 to 332 B.C. He dedicated the ex voto as a sign of honour to his prominent family.