Greece: Temple of Apollo at Delphi - Research Paper Example

Greece: Temple of Apollo at Delphi Introduction Deep within the captivating landscape of central Greece lies the phenomenal work of architecture, the Sanctuary or Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The Temple of Apollo, which basks in majestic glory on the southern slopes of the Parnassus Mountain, was the most important sacred areas in the Greek history (Anderson and Spiers 91). Evidently, it is a sacred site that was granted reverence from 1500 BC as the sacred dwelling place to the renowned Oracle. It is stated that the Oracle communicated with the people through an intoxicated priestess. The Temple of Apollo at Delphi traces its construction back to the 4th Century B.C (Anderson and Spiers 91). In this regard, it was built by two famous architects known as Agamedes and Trophonios. In the 6th century B.C, it was reconstructed following a tragic fire and named in recognition to the noble Athenian family which was in charge of the reconstruction after soliciting for funds from foreign emperors and all the corners of Greece. To this end, it was known as the “Temple of Alcmeonidae” (Mikalson 95). The temple was linked to the Doric order whereby there were fifteen columns at the sides and the front had six columns (Mikalson 95). An earthquake in 373 B.C. led to the destruction of the temple once again, and it was reconstructed for a third time in 330 B.C. The architects this time round were from Corinth and known as Agathon, Xenodoros, and Spintharos (Mikalson 95). Evidently, the sculptures that line the pediment were sculpted by Androsthenes and Praxias from Athenia (Mikalson 95). Presently, the foundations of the temple are still evident and have become the basis for artist evaluation by archaeologists, artists and scientists. To this end, the subsequent section will delve into the historical context of the temple’s construction, the structural details and the artistic features found in the exterior and interior of the Temple of Apollo as well as their historical, socio-cultural and economic significance. Historical Context The excavations at Delphi offer incisive insight into its first inhabitants. Evidently, the cult of Apollo was brought to central Greece by Creatian priests in the 8th Century B.C. (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 126). The god worshiped was in the form of dolphin and known as Apollo Delphinios (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 126). The holy city adopted its name from the god’s name. To this end, Delphi was the economic and sacred home to Apollo where pilgrims visited from every part of the world. Political leaders and individuals from all over the ancient world came to seek Apollo’s counsel through the Oracle of Delphi. The range of issues included family, politics, love and war. To this end, a sacrifice was offered by the person seeking counsel. In this regard, an intoxicated priestess would make cryptic announcements which were recorded by a priest (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 127). The present day Temple of Apollo is traced back to the 4th Century B.C. Evidently, it is the third version of the temples following earlier destructions by fire and earthquake. In this regard, evidence of the first temple can be noticed through the wall blocks and archaic wall blocks while pediment sculptures and numerous wall blocks offer evidence of the second temple (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 128). One notable sporting activity that attracted people from all over the world was the Pythian Games which formed part of the Panhellenic games (Starr 42). To this end, evidence of the games can be seen through a great chariot race that can be seen at Delphi where it was held in the stadium. There were many treasuries which were constructed in the Temple of Apollo for storing the precious offerings by the pilgrims. In 393 AD, the oracle of Delphi was abolished by Emperor Theodosius when he introduced Christianity and imposed it as the sole religion in the Byzantine Empire (Starr 46). To this end, the Temple of Delphi was abandoned and subjected to plunder as the materials were used to construct new buildings. Presently, the ancient ruins of Delphi offer archaeological evidence of its existence through the structural architecture and artistic works, which elicit symbolic and cultural value. The Treasuries and Sacred Way The Sacred Way towards the Temple of Apollo starts off at the southeast corner of the temple and traverses upwards towards the hillside (Starr 47). Along the way, monuments and ancient treasures are evident. Evidently, the Sacred Way was followed by pilgrims during the ancient times. Moreover, during the ancient times, the Sacred Way was filled with votive offerings, statues, and treasury buildings (Starr 46). They were donations courtesy of important cities as thanksgiving to the Oracle for the useful advice that contributed to their war and political victories, as well as a mark establishing their presence at the sacred site of Delphi. The most eminent treasuries and offerings were known as the “Treasury of the Athenians” (Starr 48). Evidently, it dates back to 490 B.C. and was furnished by the victory spoils which Athens acquired during the “Battle of Marathon” (Starr 48). To this end, the Athenians got victory over the Persians after following the advice of the oracle. In this regard, the oracle advised them to place their faith and trust in their “wooden walls.” The Athenians interpreted this to mean their navy force, which eventually was confirmed through their victory at Salamis (Starr 48). The building was reconstructed by French archaeologists in 1906 and now is a minor Doric styled structure that has two central columns. Moreover, there are annotated music hymns for Apollo and Greek inscriptions which cover the walls of the treasury. The Castalian Spring The Castalian Spring was a sacred spring which drained from a ravine located in Phaedriades Mountains (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 127). Evidently, the spring was used for ritual baths before proceeding into the sacred location of the Temple of Apollo. For example, it was paramount that murderers take a full body bath while other pilgrims would only rinse their hands. Evidently, in Delphi, the Castalian Spring was the oldest sacred area. To this end, it is believed that it was one of the contributing factors for Delphi being chosen as the sacred dwelling place for the god Apollo. Furthermore, the chemical vapours emanating from the earth were believed to offer inspiration to the Pythia oracle through intoxication (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 126). Presently, there are two surviving fountains that were fed by the Castalian Spring. These are a Roman fountain that contained areas for votive gifts and a marble decorated fountain basin complete with benches (Ching, Jarzombek, and Prakash 126). Structural Architecture of the Temple of Apollo The historical architecture of the Temple of Apollo dates back to the 4th Century B.C. It was constructed first by two famous architects by the names of Agamedes and Trophonios (Anderson and Spiers 92). The original structure consisted of six columns at the front and the sides consisted of fifteen columns before they were re-constructed. The two earlier versions of the Apollo temples were destroyed by fire and earthquake respectively (Anderson and Spiers 91). Evidently, Trophonios and Agamedes are credited with building the early temples around mid-7th B.C. with the assistance of Apollo. In this regard, they are believed to have used porous stone in construction (Anderson and Spiers 93). Fragments of the porous stone were found in sections of the walls. Evidently, the upper sections were constructed by bricks while wood was used in making the roof. However, the first temple is believed to have burnt down around 548 B.C. Its replacement was courtesy of contribution from various states before its eventual completion in 500 B.C. Its destruction around 373 B.C. is attributed to an earthquake (Anderson and Spiers 91). To this end, part of the archaic wall blocks and capitals have been preserved as evidence of the first temple while a collection of the pediment sculptures and numerous wall blocks are preservatives from the second temple. Evidently, the exterior structures of the present temple were decorated with Persian shields that were captured at Plataea. In this regard, parts of more than five columns and a solitary complete column are visible (Mikalson 95). Furthermore, the interior sekos and the outer colonnade foundations are also visible. It is important to note that Delphi was set apart from other city states due to its stature as a religious and holy place. This was largely due to the presence of the Delphic oracle which was revered by all Greeks. The structural materials used in the construction of the temple was a consortium of various materials. In this regard, the foundations were constructed with porous-stone and plastered with locally available grey limestone. Furthermore, the entablature and columns were constructed with porous stone derived from Sikyon and stucco coat applied over it (Mikalson 99). The walls and floors were constructed with grey limestone. Marble taken from Paros Island were used in constructing the roof and pediments. The inside of the temple of Apollo at Delphi was completed with several statues. Examples here included the statues of Apollo and Zeus, two statues of the Fates, and a statue of Poseidon (Mikalson 95). One of the interior sections of the temple known as cella contained hearth or Hestia at the rear end. Other important monuments at the Temple of Apollo included the “Altar of Chians” (Mikalson 95). It was a huge altar in the temple that was built at its front end. According to an inscription, it was constructed by the citizens of Chios during the 5th century BC (Mikalson 95). Its construction materials consisted of black marble which was used in the monument. On the other hand, the cornice and base were made of white marble, which resulted into a magnificent colour contrast. The Oracle of Delphi The temple of Apollo contained a small chamber known as adyton which was granted to the famous Delphi oracles (Starr, 44). However, the only person who could enter it was the pythia. Evidently, pythia was a priestess named after a python that was killed by Apollo (Starr 44). In this regard, the priestess was a medium through which Apollo communicated while she was intoxicated and possessed. The priestess was often a poor middle-aged woman who was identified and offered training pertaining to her priestess role. To this end, the priestess was subjected to fasting and sexual abstinence before delivering oracles (Starr 44). Before delivering oracles, questions were presented to the priestess on a tablet. Evidently, there are surviving samples of the tablet questions. The pythia would become engrossed in a deep trance like state as someone possessed as she communicated with Apollo in a contorted voice and usually chanted out the replies from Apollo. To this end, the responses were recorded by a priest, sealed and given to the person seeking inquiry (Starr 44). Evidently, there were only specific days under special scenarios in which the Oracle functioned. According to Strabo the geographer, Plato the philosopher, the poets Cicero and Aeschylus as well as the historians Diodorus and Pliny, the pythia got her inspiration from the Castalian Spring which emitted vapours (Starr 49). In this regard, an active fault line which was under the site of the oracle was discovered by a geological survey in the 1980’s. This fault line was theorized as the source of the gases which intoxicated the pythia during her oracles. Further exploration conducted at Delphi in order to explore the theory of the earthly gases that offered inspiration to the Oracle has revealed interesting facts. Foremost, the interior section of the Temple of Apollo was constructed 2-4 meters underneath the floor (Starr 49). Second, the interior section was asymmetrical, thus revealing a fragmentation in the interior colonnade which housed some presently vanished feature or structure (Starr 44). There was also an intricate drainage for spring waters as well as other subterranean pathways which were located nearby the inner sanctum and constructed directly into the foundations. Another interesting find was the “Kerna fault,” which was a second fault that traversed from northwest to southeast of the “Delphi fault” within the oracle’s location (Starr 50). The findings equally revealed travertine deposits from where the Castalian Spring once flowed. Evidently, the travertine deposits were similar to those found at Hierapolis, which produced noxious fumes. A chemical analysis performed on the water within the Kerna Spring in the Temple of Delphi revealed chemicals such as ethane, methane, and ethylene (Starr 51). Evidently, ethylene produces a sweet odour. In this regard, an earlier research study established that lower concentrations of ethylene were enough to lower concentrations resulted in trance-like states. To this end, during the trance like-state a person is able to stay conscious, answer questions as well as have out-of-body euphoria and feelings. Comments by Historical and Art Critics and Personal evaluation It should be noted that there are pertinent critics pertaining to the construction of the Temple of Apollo. To this end, the two architects Agamedes and Trophonios have been regarded as mythical characters that never existed (Starr 57). Furthermore, the fact that the Oracle is stated to have been in communication with the Apollo god has been disputed on the account that the priestess was merely exhibiting euphoric feelings due to intoxication by ethylene fumes (Starr 59). On this account, I am in agreement with the critics since scientific evidence has been deduced to the effect that the priestess’s condition was induced by ethylene vapours from the gaseous features. Conclusion The Temple of Delphi stands out as an epitome of historical and structural magnificence in the great religious city of Delphi. Evidently, each of the natural and architectural designs from the landscape, buildings and monuments blended artistically to bring out the religious and socio-cultural paradigms of ancient Greek civilization. Works Cited Anderson, William James, and Richard Phene? Spiers. The architecture of ancient Greece. An account of its historic development, being the first part of the architecture of Greece and Rome. New York: AMS, 1978. Print. Ching, Frank, Mark Jarzombek, and Vikramaditya Prakash. A global history of architecture. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley & Sons, 2007. Print. Mikalson, Jon D. Ancient Greek Religion. n.a: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print. Starr, Chester G. A history of the ancient world. New York: Oxford University Press, 1965. Print. Read More