Delphi

Delphi
Δελφοί
Delphic Tholos
The Athena temple complex, including the Delphic Tholos. The background is the Pleistos River Valley.
Delphi is located in Greece
Delphi
Delphi
Shown within Greece
LocationPhocis, Greece
Coordinates38°28′56″N 22°30′05″E / 38.4823°N 22.5013°E / 38.4823; 22.5013
TypeRuins of an ancient sacred precinct
HeightTop of a scarp 500 metres (1,600 ft) maximum off the valley floor
History
CulturesAncient Greece
Site notes
ArchaeologistsFrench School at Athens
OwnershipHellenic Republic
ManagementMinistry of Culture and Sports
Public accessAccessible for a fee
WebsiteE. Partida (2012). "Delphi". Odysseus. Ministry of Culture and Sports, Hellenic Republic.
Official nameArchaeological Site of Delphi
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, iii, iv and vi
Designated1987 (12th session)
Reference no.393
RegionEurope
Delphi among the main Greek sanctuaries

Delphi (/ˈdɛlf, ˈdɛlfi/;[1] Greek: Δελφοί [ðelˈfi]),[a] in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The ancient Greeks considered the centre of the world to be in Delphi, marked by the stone monument known as the Omphalos of Delphi (navel).

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 (in other accounts the serpent was the male serpent (drakon) Python).[5][6]

The sacred precinct occupies a delineated region on the south-western slope of Mount Parnassus.

It is now an extensive archaeological site, and since 1938 a part of Parnassos National Park. The precinct is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in having had a great influence in the ancient world, as evidenced by the various monuments built there by most of the important ancient Greek city-states, demonstrating their fundamental Hellenic unity.[7]

Adjacent to the sacred precinct is a small modern town of the same name.

  1. ^ Wells, John C. (2000) [1990]. Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (new ed.). Harlow, England: Longman. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-582-36467-7.
  2. ^ Frisk, Hjalmar (1960). "δελφίς, Δελφοί, δελφύς". Griechisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch. Vol. Band I. Heidelberg: Carl Winter.
  3. ^ Also given in Henry George Liddell; Robert Scott; Henry Stuart Jones (1940). "Δελφοί". A Greek-English Lexicon. Perseus Digital Library.
  4. ^ Alice Mouton; Ian Rutherford; Ilya Yakubovich (2013). Luwian Identities: Culture, Language and Religion Between Anatolia and the Aegean. Leiden: Brill. p. 66.
  5. ^ "Suda, pi,3137".
  6. ^ "Suda, delta,210".
  7. ^ "Archaeological Site of Delphi". World Heritage Convention. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 23 October 2022.


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