Delphi
Oracle
If you want to see a movie of the oracle (you need realaudio) click here: 28k8, ISDN.
Delphi was a famous city in Ancient Greece. If Senators in Athens wanted to know a thing, they went to the Oracle of Delphi. First they came by the treasuries houses. They paid Apollo there money for this money the senator could ask the priests of Delphi something. And the priests went to the pythia, the highest priest of Apollo. The pythia asked the rocks the question and out of the rocks there came all sorts of smook. This was the awser. The Pythia translated this and the priests told the senator the awser. The awser was never clear. For example: A Athenian woman went to the Oracle and asked: 'Will my son die in the war?' The awser was:'
Your son dies not will he come back' (You can say:' Your son dies, not will he come back' or 'Your son dies not, will he come back') But in the persian war, Pericles went to the Oracle and asked:'How can we defend ourselves against the Persians.' The awser was:'Built wooden walls.' And Pericles thought, why would I built wooden walls instead of stone walls.
And after some time he realized it: Wooden walls were ships. The Oracle was abandonned
in 376 AD thought Emperor Hadrianus of the Roman Empire, because the Oracle was for the Ancient Greek Gods and the Roman Empire believed in the Bible.
A virtal trip to Delphi
Click here for a virtual trip to Delphi (recommended
33k6)