*WS 126: the ruins of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece*
Delphi is a small town in upper central Greece, 180 km north-west of Athens, the capital. Delphi was the site of a major temple dedicated to Apollo. The ancient Greeks considered Delphi as the center of the World. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visited the ruins in 2012.
In Greek mythology Apollo is a "principal" god, the alpha in the pack of gods. A big part of the slope of Mt Parnassus was occupied by the Apollo temple complex. The first temple buildings were dated around the 7th century BC. Most of the ruins we see today are dated to the 4th century BC. The main structures shown are the re-constructed Treasury of the Athenians in the 5th photo, the surviving columns of the Temple of Apollo in the 6th photo and the 4500-seat stadium used to host the Pythian Games in the 7th photo. The Pythian Games are the precursors of the Olympic Games.
In Greek mythology, the god Apollo spoke through the oracles and the Delphi Oracle was the greatest of all Greek oracles. She would be consulted before all major undertakings including wars and the founding of colonies.
About 1 km from the Apollo Temple is the small complex of Temple of Athena Pronaia, the Greek Goddess of wisdom and warfare. The iconic ruin here is the Tholos of Delphi, a circular temple building constructed between 380 and 360 BC. It has 20 Doric columns arranged in a circle 15 m in diameter, with 10 Corinthian columns in the interior. Three of the Doric columns have been restored, making it the most photographed place at Delphi, 8th and 9th photos.
The last photo shows a modern oracle at work at the shaded area near the Temple of Athena Pronaia. Overheard her saying in English, "this place is special, has tremendous energy. You must think positive and all your dreams will be fulfilled...." Her words were translated to Greek to about 30 young people. She must be leading a motivation course. What special energy level? Or just to con for a living?
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