The pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo, the Olympian god of light, knowledge and harmony, spoke, was the site of the omphalos, the ‘navel of the world’. Blending harmoniously with the superb landscape and charged with sacred meaning, Delphi in the 6th century B.C. was indeed the religious centre and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world.

The development of the sanctuary and oracle began in the 8th century BC, and their religious and political influence over the whole of Greece increased in the 6th century BC. At the same time, their fame and prestige spread throughout the whole of the then known world, from which pilgrims came to the site to receive an oracle from the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. A place with a rich intangible heritage, Delphi was the centre of the world (omphalos) in the eyes of the ancient Greeks: according to myth, it was the meeting point of two eagles released by Zeus, one to the East and one in the West. The magnificent monumental complex is a human-made environment in perfect harmony with the rare natural environment, the principal features of which gave rise to the organisation of the cults. This harmonious relationship, which has remained undisturbed from ancient times to the present day, makes Delphi a unique monument and a priceless legacy bequeathed by the ancient Greek world to following generations (Source: Unesco-World Heritage Convention).

When approaching Delphi the first site to be seen is the Temenos of Athena Pronaia, the epithet meaning the goddess worshipped before the temple of Apollo. In this sanctuary is situated the renowned Tholos of Delphi, a 4th century BC masterpiece of the ancient Greek architecture. The tholoi were circular structures, attributed to the cult of heroes or chthonic deities, an interpretation that remains uncertain in lack of ancient testimonies regarding their use.

Behind the grounds of Pronaia is the Sanctuary of Apollo. The roughness of the amphitheatrical landscape betrays the most difficult challenge that ancient craftsmen dealt with. A winding path, the Sacred Way led to the imposing Temple of Apollo, that overlooks the shrine from its centrally located, elevated position. In the adyton of this temple, a separate closed room at the rear, Pythia, seated on the tripod, uttered the prophetic – and by all accounts unintelligible – words of the god. The Doric temple seen today was completed in 330 BC, during the reign of Alexander the Great, and it was the last in a succession of six temples built on the site in honour of Apollo.

The elegant Treasuries (Thisavroi in Greek) were erected by several Greek cities to host their votive offerings to the shrine. A notable example in terms of its elegant architecture and sculptural decoration is the 6th century BC treasury of the Siphnians, the oldest structure in mainland Greece entirely built by marble. The Athenians’ treasury was erected after their victory at Marathon in 490 BC to host the best part of their war booty. In the 3rd century BC were inscribed on the outside walls two hymns to Apollo, including the ancient musical signs, an extremely rare finding. Perched on a hillside with panoramic view, lies the theatre of Delphi, built in 400 BC of white stone from Parnassus. Its capacity is estimated to 5000 spectators and it bears all the typical architectural features of the Late Classical Greek theatres, though it is somewhat narrower in form, due to the limited natural space available. In the theatre were held the music and dramatic competitions of the Pythian Games; moreover, the theatre, as the place of public gatherings par excellence, was used for the disclosure of release acts, concerning in their vast majority slaves.

Higher still, a path leads from the theatre to the stadium, where the sporting events of the Pythian Games were held. The stadium acquired its final form during the 5th century BC and was able to hold 7000 spectators (Source: Greek Travel pages).

Delphi Archaeological museum is one of the principal museums of Greece and one of the most visited. The Archaeological Museum of Delphi reveals through hundreds of exhibits the history of the Delphi sanctuary, the most important site of ancient Greece. The rich collections of Delphi museum consist of beautiful marble statues, sculpture works, coins and other finds from that time. The permanent exhibition covers over a thousand years, from the Mycenaean era to the Greco-Roman times. Among sacred treasures, a few of the collection’s most celebrated pieces include the Omphalos (a sculpture is a Hellenistic or Roman representation of the Archaic  omphalos kept in in the temple’s inner sanctum, the adyton), the chryselephantine statues 6th century BC, the Kouroi 610 BC, the Sphynx of Naxos 560 BC, the Apollo Kylix 6^th century BC, the Charioteer of Delphi 478 – 474 BC, the Statue of Antinoos 130 AD (Source: https://greekcitytimes.com)