Temple of Apollo at Delphi

Undoubtedly, the most important area of Delphi was the temple of Apollo. This is where The Oracle of Delphi, Pythia, the high priestess of the Temple would foretell the future and deliver her prophetic words on both private matters and affairs of state. The name Pythia is derived from Pytho, which in myth was the original name of Delphi. And she was the most powerful woman of the classical world.
Overlooking the Temple of Apollo is the best preserved ancient stadium in Greece, The Stadium of Delphi. Its stone seats could sit around 6500
Spectators and is located at the highest point in the city and was reached by a path winding up from the theater. The Pythian Games were second most important games in Greece only after the Olympic Games.

Before Delphi declined with the rise of Christianity, along the streets of this ancient town was a columned portico, offering rest and shade to its visitors. It was called an agora, which means meeting place in Greek and is where merchants set up shops. It the equivalent of a plaza or marketplace,

The path I’m walking on is referred to as The Sacred Way In ancient Greece and was the road from Athens to Eleusis.
Once through the gate, The Sacred Way led to the important Greek temple and Oracle of Apollo, the Treasury of Athena, the theater of Delphi and the Stadium further up.
Delphi also contained settlements and cemeteries, which were built outside and around the two sanctuaries.
I pass by the bronze column of three intertwined snakes, whose bodies once formed the column. Unrecognizable now, the Serpentine Column has one of the longest literary histories of any object surviving from Greek and Roman antiquity.
Continuing along the Sacred Way is the Stele of Prusias II. This monument was erected to honor King Prusias II of Bithynia in 182 BC and the statue of the king once stood on top of it. The inscription says the stele was dedicated by the Aetolian League to honor King Prusias.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site also holds the Treasury of the Athenians. The purpose of which was to house the offerings brought by Athenians to be offered to the Temple of Apollo.
I can feel the energy of the ancient Greeks everywhere in this ancient town, but the energy seems to be strongest here at the Omphalos, a conical shaped stone that represents the navel of the Earth. A powerful object of Hellenic religious symbolism believed to allow direct communication with the gods.
Resembling a linga, a form sacred to Shiva, the Hindu God. I contemplate its possible relationship to the mysteries of India.
Walking along this sacred path on this mythical mountain of Apollo, I’m reminded that Mother Earth is everywhere. A seed, contained in all things, planted in our center no matter where our feet touch.

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