User:Dannyvarano1/Temple of Apollo (Delphi)

Introduction

 * Brief introduction similar to one already on wikipedia page

Location
Located on Mt. Parnassos in Central Greece, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi occupies a remote, yet central location relative to Greek settlements. The temple’s heightened position upon the mountain signifies both the prominence of Apollo, and the sanctuary itself. According to measurements believed to be created by Zeus, Delphi was the center of the universe for Greeks, and the “omphalos” or “navel,” of the earth was located in Apollo's sacred temple. Far from the influence of particular cities, but still central, the location of the sanctuary reinforces its panhellenic nature, and contributes to the idea that Apollo could be trusted as a neutral authority. Given its central location and difficult accessibility, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was no ordinary site, but a place close to the gods.

(Cole)

History / Mythology (Needs to be added to and revised)
According to mythological legend, Apollo famously killed Python, the dragon that previously guarded the oracle, as the sun rose from the ravines of Delphi. After the god took possession of the oracle, Apollo, along with his mother, Leto, and his sister, Artemis, would be the deities worshipped at Delphi.

Greek traditions, and the writings of Pausanias, indicate five different temples were built to honor Apollo at Delphi. Some historians suggest the first three temples were constructed prior to the Homeric poems and before the cult of Apollo was established.

The first and most ancient temple, according to Pausanias, was similar to a hut and was made of branches from the bay tree. This tradition may be the result of later intervention, according to archaeologist, J. Henry Middleton, who questions if the legend was reworked to connect the first temple of Apollo with bay laurel, a plant associated with Apollo and the Pythia, female oracles at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Pythia wore a crown made of bay laurel, the plant used to purify Apollo after killing Python.

Pausanias says the second temple was a gift from Apollo to the Hyperboreans, the oracle's original founders according to legend, and was constructed by bees with feathers and beeswax. Archaeologists assume birds' feathers were used to construct the temple, but Pausanias does not clarify. Another story suggests Pteras, a Delphian man, used fern to build the second temple, a version Pausanias does not accept.

The third temple was said to be made of bronze and built by Hephaestus, according to myth, Pausanias believed the temple was bronze but doubted it was the work of Hephaestus. Two stories exists explaining its collapse, one suggests the temple was destroyed in a fire and the other says it fell into a deep fissure of the earth.

The fourth temple was stone, built by Trophonius and Agamedes, and was said to be burned accidentally in 548 B.C, when the ruler of Athens was Erxicleides. Historians suggests the fourth temple was the first sanctuary during the time of Apollo at Delphi, and the temple Apollo refers to in mythology.. Apollo left Olympus and visited many lands before deciding on a home at Delphi, according to Homeric hymn, and there he would be an oracle in his temple.

The fifth and final temple is the temple which ruins still exist today. The Amphiktionic council held a meeting prior to the construction of the fifth temple and decided the cost of the new building would be split. A quarter of the payment was made by the people of Delphi, and the rest was collected as donations from other civilizations, such as other Greek states and Egypt. Spintharus, a corinthian man, was chosen by the council as the architect to construct a design created by members of the Alcmaeonidae family, a wealth family exiled from Athens. The temple, according to the design, was made of limestone and included white Parian marble columns. Pediments, built by the Athenians, Praxias and Androsthenes, occupied the east and west sides of the temple. The Eastern pediment included statues of Apollo, Latona, and Artemis standing along a rising and setting sun. The other pediment to the west of the temple included a statue of Dionysus.

Function / Service (Needs to be revised)
The Temple of Apollo at Delphi functions as a Panhellenic sanctuary serving all Greek settlements. Archaeologist J. Henry Middleton suggests Delphi, the location of the temple, contributes to the sanctuary’s Panhellenic nature because Delphi itself was a sacred space representing, in Greek view, a politically and religiously united Greece.

Political Service (Subsection?)
The god Apollo was an authoritative figure of legal and political concern, as stated by Susan Guettel Cole, professor of Classics at the University of Buffalo. Apollo served Greek civilizations that seeked his political support and requested his protection from corrupted leadership. To assure political guidance, Greek settlements placed text resolving political conflicts on the walls of The Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Doing so consecrated the political text to Apollo and demonstrated these Greek laws derived from the god’s authority. According to Cole, a text laying out the laws of a newly established colony and the punishments leaders would receive for exploiting the law, was hung in Apollo’s temple by Ozolian Lokrains, a Greek settlement (date?). Dresos and Gortyn, infamously inscribed laws into the walls of Apollo’s temple. The seventh century law from Dresos, and the sixth century law from Gortyn, both stated conditions and regulations for political offices in their civilizations.

Healing Service (Subsection?)
Cole’s work, Landscapes, Gender, and Ritual Space, explains Apollo was also a Greek god of healing. Apollo at Delphi approved settlement plans for purification and cleanliness submitted to him by Greek states. According to the book, a Kyrene pollution law was supposedly voiced by Apollo himself. Capable of inflicting and relieving civilizations of plague, The Temple of Apollo at Delphi was also visited when seeking Apollo’s help during a larger health disaster.

Oracle (Pythia)
The priestesses of Apollo known as the Pythia were the oracles at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. According to historians, the Pythia are the mystical spouse of Apollo and the ones who delivered the god's prophecies in his sacred temple. At the time Apollo came to Delphi so did the Pythia. Historian Charles Seltman, and many other accounts, suggest the Pythia who became the oracles of Apollo were originally virgins, however after one of the young females were raped in Apollo's temple, the future priestesses were required to be at least fifty years old, but they remained dress in the clothing of a young woman. The process of delivering a prophecy went as so: the inquirer comes to the Temple of Apollo and offers a gift upon the alter located outside the building. Offerings were typically sacrifices of animals such as goats, sheep, or bulls. If the Pythia decided the offering was sufficient, she would then enter Apollo's temple and descended into a chamber below the sanctuary. She sits on a tripod and is cleansed with water from the Castalian spring, which would enter the chamber through a large crack in the rock floor. Some accounts describe gases arising from the chasm in the ground itself while others suggest bay laurel leaves were burned around her and she would inhale the fumes of the ignited plants. In her hand she held a piece of the laurel plant as well, and she also drank from a silver bowl which contained water from the Castalian spring. All reports state the Pythia was brought to a state of intoxication or frenzy, the state in which was required for her to deliver a prophecy. In the tranced psychological state came the knowledge of Apollo which the Pythia begins to voice, however her words are not understandable. A priest above standing in the temple hears her voice through an opening in the floor and interprets the prophecy. Prophecies were then delivered either verbally to the inquirer or, often in more important cases, were written by the priest on a bay laurel leaf. The legitimacy of the oracular process at Delphi is debated by scholars. Author of classics, C.R. Whittaker, and geologists, J. Z. De Boer and J. R. Hale have concluded the accounts of the Pythia's experiences are myth. There is no evidence of a large fissure or crack in the ground under the temple and no indication that consuming bay laurel leaves and water from the Castalian spring can induce an intoxicated state. Whittaker attributes these details to ancient authors' inability to understand myths describing the experiences of the Pythia. Some classical and archaeological scholars also suggest that inquiries were given to the Pythia as two options for two different courses of action. Many more scholars accept this instead as part of the accounts and believe the Pythia would choose the appropriate course of action while in her altered state.

Excavation
In 1892, the first excavation at Delphi took place. The French government granted the French School of Athens the rights to excavate in 1891, and the process lasted from 1892 to 1894. Archaeologist, Jean Théophille Homelle, lead the excavation of the entire site at Delphi, which included the Temple of Apollo. Excavation uncovered various artistic votives dedicated to Apollo. Offerings included buildings, statues, and bronze and marble structures. The head of the Sphinx of Naxos was found in 1893.

In 1938, the French School of Athens would excavate again under the direction of Robert Demangel and supervised by future secretary of the school, Pierre Amandry, and archaeologist, Pierre de La Coste-Messelière. French excavators discovered two small cavities in the ground below Apollo's sacred temple. Evidence of statues made of ivory, bronze and gold were found in the two pits. The statues consisted of hair and accessories which were made of gold, and faces and limbs made of ivory. Remains from the statues were preserved well and work began to reconstruct the aesthetics of the different statue features. Also found amongst the remains below the Temple of Apollo were gold slates which depicted animals and mythological figures.