Delphi Attractions Delfí
The Delphi area offers plenty of scope for mountain walks and winter sports, mainly on Mt Parnassus (2,457m/8061ft:). There are bathing beaches at Itéa, Kírra and Galaxídi. The harbor of Itéa has customs clearance facilities.
Regular bus services from Athens.
Delphi, lying on the slopes of Mt Parnassus high above the Gulf of Corinth, is one of the most famous cult sites in Greece, famed throughout the ancient Greek world and beyond as the sanctuary of Apollo and the shrine of his oracle. The site ranks with the Acropolis in Athens, Olympia and the island of Delos as one of the most important sites of the classical period of Greece; and the wealth of ancient remains combines with its magnificent mountain setting to make Delphi one of the high points of a visit to Greece.
The two crags known as the Phaidriades ("Resplendent Ones"), Phlemboúkos ("Flaming") and Rodiní ("Roseate"), enclose a rocky gorge containing the Castalian Spring, from which the ravine of the river Plistos, densely planted with olive-trees, descends to Itéa Bay. At the foot of the Phaidriades, close to the Castalian spring, there was in early times a shrine of the Earth Mother, Ge, guarded by a dragon known as Python. The myth relates that the sun god Apollo killed Python and, after an act of expiation in the vale of Tempe in Thessaly, became lord of the sanctuary as Apollo Pythios. The time when this take-over occurred is indicated by the fact that the female idols previously offered at the shrine began to give place to male idols in the ninth century B.C.
But although a male deity had thus displaced the earlier goddess, a woman still played a central role in the cult of the oracle of Delphi, which ranked with Olympia as the principal pan-Hellenic shrine. This was the Pythia, who sat on a tripod in the innermost sanctuary of the temple and whose stammered oracular utterances were conveyed by priests and prophets to those seeking the oracle's advice. During the three winter months Apollo travelled north to the land of the Hyperboreans and was replaced by Dionysos. The oracle's utterances continued during this period.
Many of the oracle's prophecies are known, dating back to Mycenaean times (second millennium B.C.). In those early days Orestes was told by the oracle that he could expiate the murder of his mother by fetching the cult image of Artemis from Tauris in Scythia. In historical times three of the oracle's pronouncements were particularly notable. Around 680 B.C. it directed settlers from Megara to found the city of Byzantion on the Bosporus (the future Constantinople). In 547 B.C. it told Kroisos (Croesus), king of Lydia in Asia Minor, that if he crossed a certain river he would destroy a great kingdom: whereupon Kroisos crossed the river Halys and was defeated by the Persians, so destroying his own kingdom. In 480 B.C. the oracle declared that Athens, then threatened by the Persians, would be invincible behind a wooden rampart - and so it proved when the fleet built by Themistokles (the "wooden rampart") defeated the Persians in the battle of Salamis. As these examples show, the Delphic oracle, which reached the peak of its influence in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., played a part in directing the establishment of Greek colonies and in reaching political decisions; and no less significant was the influence of Apollo, the god who granted expiation and made laws, on the development of Greek ethics and law.
The recipients of the oracle's advice expressed their thanks in votive offerings, which brought great wealth to Delphi, much of it stored in treasuries built by individual cities. Most of this has been lost, but some important items can still be seen in the Delphi Museum; and the bronze serpent column set up at Delphi in 479 B.C. after the Athenian victory over the Persians at Plataiai still stands in the Hippodrome in Istanbul.
Delphi enjoyed a final period of prosperity in the reign of Hadrian (A.D. second century), but its day was ended by earthquake damage and the edict by Theodosius I in A.D. 392 closing down all pagan shrines. Later the modest little village of Kastrí grew up amid the ruins of the temple. The site was rediscovered by a German archeologist, Ulrichs, and excavated by French archaeologists from 1892 onwards. A visit to Delphi falls into three parts: the sanctuary of Apollo, with the Stadion; the Castalian spring and the sanctuary of Athena at Marmariá; and the Museum.
Arakhova
Castalian Spring
Delphi Museum
Polygonal Wall
Sanctuary of Apollo Theatre
Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia / Tholos
Temple of Apollo
Treasury of the Athenians
Regular bus services from Athens.
Delphi, lying on the slopes of Mt Parnassus high above the Gulf of Corinth, is one of the most famous cult sites in Greece, famed throughout the ancient Greek world and beyond as the sanctuary of Apollo and the shrine of his oracle. The site ranks with the Acropolis in Athens, Olympia and the island of Delos as one of the most important sites of the classical period of Greece; and the wealth of ancient remains combines with its magnificent mountain setting to make Delphi one of the high points of a visit to Greece.
The two crags known as the Phaidriades ("Resplendent Ones"), Phlemboúkos ("Flaming") and Rodiní ("Roseate"), enclose a rocky gorge containing the Castalian Spring, from which the ravine of the river Plistos, densely planted with olive-trees, descends to Itéa Bay. At the foot of the Phaidriades, close to the Castalian spring, there was in early times a shrine of the Earth Mother, Ge, guarded by a dragon known as Python. The myth relates that the sun god Apollo killed Python and, after an act of expiation in the vale of Tempe in Thessaly, became lord of the sanctuary as Apollo Pythios. The time when this take-over occurred is indicated by the fact that the female idols previously offered at the shrine began to give place to male idols in the ninth century B.C.
But although a male deity had thus displaced the earlier goddess, a woman still played a central role in the cult of the oracle of Delphi, which ranked with Olympia as the principal pan-Hellenic shrine. This was the Pythia, who sat on a tripod in the innermost sanctuary of the temple and whose stammered oracular utterances were conveyed by priests and prophets to those seeking the oracle's advice. During the three winter months Apollo travelled north to the land of the Hyperboreans and was replaced by Dionysos. The oracle's utterances continued during this period.
Many of the oracle's prophecies are known, dating back to Mycenaean times (second millennium B.C.). In those early days Orestes was told by the oracle that he could expiate the murder of his mother by fetching the cult image of Artemis from Tauris in Scythia. In historical times three of the oracle's pronouncements were particularly notable. Around 680 B.C. it directed settlers from Megara to found the city of Byzantion on the Bosporus (the future Constantinople). In 547 B.C. it told Kroisos (Croesus), king of Lydia in Asia Minor, that if he crossed a certain river he would destroy a great kingdom: whereupon Kroisos crossed the river Halys and was defeated by the Persians, so destroying his own kingdom. In 480 B.C. the oracle declared that Athens, then threatened by the Persians, would be invincible behind a wooden rampart - and so it proved when the fleet built by Themistokles (the "wooden rampart") defeated the Persians in the battle of Salamis. As these examples show, the Delphic oracle, which reached the peak of its influence in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., played a part in directing the establishment of Greek colonies and in reaching political decisions; and no less significant was the influence of Apollo, the god who granted expiation and made laws, on the development of Greek ethics and law.
The recipients of the oracle's advice expressed their thanks in votive offerings, which brought great wealth to Delphi, much of it stored in treasuries built by individual cities. Most of this has been lost, but some important items can still be seen in the Delphi Museum; and the bronze serpent column set up at Delphi in 479 B.C. after the Athenian victory over the Persians at Plataiai still stands in the Hippodrome in Istanbul.
Delphi enjoyed a final period of prosperity in the reign of Hadrian (A.D. second century), but its day was ended by earthquake damage and the edict by Theodosius I in A.D. 392 closing down all pagan shrines. Later the modest little village of Kastrí grew up amid the ruins of the temple. The site was rediscovered by a German archeologist, Ulrichs, and excavated by French archaeologists from 1892 onwards. A visit to Delphi falls into three parts: the sanctuary of Apollo, with the Stadion; the Castalian spring and the sanctuary of Athena at Marmariá; and the Museum.
Things to See
Amphissa
Ámfissa (Amphissa) at the foot of Mt Parnassus, now a country town in Phocis, 14 km/8.5 mi northwest of Itéa on the road from Itéa to Lamía, lies on a hill surrounded by olive-groves. In antiquity it was the chief town of the Locrians. The medieval castle, dating from the time when the town was held by Frankish knights and was known as Salona, is built on the polygonal walls of the ancient acropolis.
Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum in Distomo is housed in a 1903 neoclassical building, originally used as a primary school. It contains the finds from Distomo and the surrounding areas.
Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum features finds from Galaxidi and the surrounding area, including artifacts found in the sea. This building also contains the Nautical and Ethnological Museum.
Arakhova 
Arákhova, a mountain village in Phocis, 9km/6mi east of Delphi, is famed for its magnificent situation in wild country on the southern slopes of Parnassus (winter sports), for its colorful woven fabrics. From the west end of the village an asphalted road runs up into the Parnassus range.
Castalian Spring
To the east of the sacred precinct at Delphi, in a gorge between the two Phaidriades, is the Castalian spring, with recesses in the rock for votive offerings. Here the faithful purified themselves before making their way to the temple (on a path now barred by the enclosure fence).
Corcyrean Cave / Sarantavli
10km from Arakhova lies the Corcyrean Cave, today called Sarantavli. It is 1,300m/4,265ft above sea level and naturally well lit. Adorned with stalactites and stalagmites, the cave in antiquity, as Pausanias recounts, was devoted to the cult worship of the god Pan and the Nymphs.
You can reach the cave from the archeological site of Delphi by cutting across the mountain ridges (2.5 hours).
You can reach the cave from the archeological site of Delphi by cutting across the mountain ridges (2.5 hours).
Delphi Museum 
The Museum at Delphi, between the excavated area and the village, contains a fascinating collection of finds from the site, only a selection of which can be mentioned here.
In the vestibule is an omphalos stone of the Roman period, carved with a net-like pattern.
Architectural sculpture and statues make up a large portion of the collection.
In the vestibule is an omphalos stone of the Roman period, carved with a net-like pattern.
Architectural sculpture and statues make up a large portion of the collection.
Distomo (Distomon)
Distomo is a market town with significant archeological findings that played a major role in the Revolution of 1821. There is an interesting museum here.
The town lies near the sea and has a beautiful beach (Distomo Beach or Aspra Spitia).
The town lies near the sea and has a beautiful beach (Distomo Beach or Aspra Spitia).
Eratini
Eratini (ancient Kolophona), a fishing village on the sea, ideal for bathing and summer pleasures. There are remnants of an ancient fortress near Marmara.
Figures by a Peloponnesian Sculptor
Room 4: Kleobis and Biton, sons of the priestess of Hera at Argos (ca. 600 B.C.; height 2.16m/7ft high), two massive Archaic figures by a Peloponnesian sculptor.
Friezes
Room 2: three Archaic bronze shields.
Room 3: in the center the sphinx of the Naxians (ca. 550 B.C.) and a caryatid from the Treasury of the Siphnians (ca. 525 B.C.), the friezes from which are displayed on the walls: to the left the pediment (Herakles stealing the Pythia's tripod) and the east frieze (assembly of the gods and Trojan War), to the right the north frieze (Gigantomachia) and the west frieze (Judgment of Paris).
Room 3: in the center the sphinx of the Naxians (ca. 550 B.C.) and a caryatid from the Treasury of the Siphnians (ca. 525 B.C.), the friezes from which are displayed on the walls: to the left the pediment (Herakles stealing the Pythia's tripod) and the east frieze (assembly of the gods and Trojan War), to the right the north frieze (Gigantomachia) and the west frieze (Judgment of Paris).
Galaxidi
17km/10.5mi southwest of Itéa, on the west side of Itéa Bay, is Galaxídi, with a castle, a monastery and a small museum.
Galaxídi is situated at the end of a little fjord. It was an important naval and ship-building center until 1821 when it was destroyed. In its pleasant harbor, tradition is still very evident along the quay amongst the seafood tavernas and boatyards, where self-taught craftsmen still may sturdy wooden caiques. It is well worth strolling through the picturesque streets lined by stately mansions and dotted with little tavernas drenched in geraniums and jasmine.
Of interest is the Church of St Nicholas, famous for its carved wooden icon screen, and Ayía Paraskeví, which has the zodiac cycle inlaid in its floor and a sundial in its forecourt.
Galaxídi is situated at the end of a little fjord. It was an important naval and ship-building center until 1821 when it was destroyed. In its pleasant harbor, tradition is still very evident along the quay amongst the seafood tavernas and boatyards, where self-taught craftsmen still may sturdy wooden caiques. It is well worth strolling through the picturesque streets lined by stately mansions and dotted with little tavernas drenched in geraniums and jasmine.
Of interest is the Church of St Nicholas, famous for its carved wooden icon screen, and Ayía Paraskeví, which has the zodiac cycle inlaid in its floor and a sundial in its forecourt.
Gravia
Along the slopes of Mt Ghiona is the village of Gravia, known for its role in the War of Independence.
Gymnasion
In Delphi, on the opposite side of the road Castalian spring, is a path leading down to the Gymnasion, which consisted of a covered running track 180m/200yd long and a palaistra (training area), and a circular bath 10m/33ft in diameter.
Itea
19 km/12 mi southwest of Delphi lies the little port of Itéa, in a bay on the Gulf of Corinth, with a bauxite works which has been the subject of controversy. East of the town is the site of ancient Kirra.
Kira
The seaside village of Kira is known for its lovely beaches.
Krisso (Hrisso)
The village of Krísso offers some beautiful scenery with pine trees and olive groves.
Lilea
The village of Lilea is built on an ancient city which took its name from the nymph Lilea, daughter of Kiphissos.
You can still see traces of the ancient city.
You can still see traces of the ancient city.
Metopes
Room 6: metopes from the Treasury of the Athenians, including Theseus and Antiope, Herakles and the Arcadian hind.
Rooms 7 and 8: remains of the Archaic temple of Apollo; in particular (Room 7) the east pediment, depicting the coming of Apollo to Delphi. To the right of this is an acroterion from the temple in the form of a winged Victory.
Rooms 7 and 8: remains of the Archaic temple of Apollo; in particular (Room 7) the east pediment, depicting the coming of Apollo to Delphi. To the right of this is an acroterion from the temple in the form of a winged Victory.
Nautical Museum
The Nautical Museum of Galaxidi displays paintings of sailing ships, nautical instruments, figureheads, and related items. Also to be found in the museum is the 1865, "Galaxidi Chronicle" published by K.N. Sathas.
Polygonal Wall
To the rear of the Sanctuary of Apollo is a polygonal wall of the sixth century B.C., covered with ancient inscriptions, supporting the platform on which the temple stands. Against it is built the 28m/92ft long Stoa of the Athenians (after 479 B.C.). Just before the Sacred Way bears north, on the right, are the remains of the Treasury of the Corinthians, which also contained offerings from king Midas of Phrygia and kings Gyges and Kroisos (Croesus) of Lydia (although these had long since disappeared by the time Pausanias visited Delphi in the second century A.D.).
Alongside the next section of the Sacred Way, which runs north in a series of steps, were other votive monuments. The surviving remains include the circular base of the "Serpent Column" of 479 B.C., formed of three intertwined snakes, and, on the esplanade in front of the temple of Apollo, the tripods erected by the Deinomids of Syracuse and the pillar which bore an equestrian statue of king Prusias II of Bithynia. The esplanade is dominated by an altar (partly re-erected) dedicated by the island of Chios and by the six re-erected columns of the temple of Apollo, with a ramp leading up to the entrance at the east end.
Alongside the next section of the Sacred Way, which runs north in a series of steps, were other votive monuments. The surviving remains include the circular base of the "Serpent Column" of 479 B.C., formed of three intertwined snakes, and, on the esplanade in front of the temple of Apollo, the tripods erected by the Deinomids of Syracuse and the pillar which bore an equestrian statue of king Prusias II of Bithynia. The esplanade is dominated by an altar (partly re-erected) dedicated by the island of Chios and by the six re-erected columns of the temple of Apollo, with a ramp leading up to the entrance at the east end.
Sacred Way
From the gateway at the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi, the Sacred Way leads uphill, first going west, then bending sharply northeast and finally bearing north to end in front of the entrance to the temple of Apollo. The Sacred Way was lined with votive monuments erected by various Greek cities, reflecting the diversity of the political pattern of ancient Greece. The monuments themselves have disappeared, but many of their bases have survived. The series begins on the left-hand side of the Sacred Way with the long narrow base of a monument erected by the Athenians in gratitude for their victory over the Persians at Marathon (which had sculpture by Pheidias). Then followed monuments dedicated by Argos - the Seven against Thebes, the Trojan horse and an exedra with figures of the Epigonoi (descendants of the Seven against Thebes) - and others by Taras in southern Italy. On the right-hand side was a bronze bull dedicated by Korkyra (ca. 480 B.C.), followed by a colonnade built by the Spartans after their defeat of Athens in the naval battle of Aigospotamoi in 405 B.C., standing opposite the Athenian monument in honor of Marathon. In front of the Spartan colonnade was a monument erected by the Arcadians to commemorate their victory over the Spartans at Leuktra in 371 B.C. Beyond it was a semicircular monument erected, like the one on the opposite side of the Sacred Way, by Argos, with figures of kings of Argos.
Between the Sacred Way, just before it crosses the Halos ("Threshing-Floor"), on which cult ceremonies were performed, and the temple of Apollo stand, side by side, the Rock of the Sibyl, the sanctuary of Ge the Earth Mother and the site of a tall Ionic column bearing the figure of a sphinx erected by the Naxians about 560 B.C. The site selected for this monument, immediately south of the temple, its considerable height (12.5m/40ft) and the significance of the sphinx as a spirit of death support the suggestion by Zschietzschmann and Gross that this sphinx marked the mythical tomb of the god Dionysos.
This is the oldest part of the sacred precinct.
Between the Sacred Way, just before it crosses the Halos ("Threshing-Floor"), on which cult ceremonies were performed, and the temple of Apollo stand, side by side, the Rock of the Sibyl, the sanctuary of Ge the Earth Mother and the site of a tall Ionic column bearing the figure of a sphinx erected by the Naxians about 560 B.C. The site selected for this monument, immediately south of the temple, its considerable height (12.5m/40ft) and the significance of the sphinx as a spirit of death support the suggestion by Zschietzschmann and Gross that this sphinx marked the mythical tomb of the god Dionysos.
This is the oldest part of the sacred precinct.
Sanctuary of Apollo
The Sanctuary of Apollo is approached from the museum on a footpath parallel to the road which runs past the remains of a mosaic pavement belonging to an early Christian basilica to the main entrance to the site. By way of the Roman market we come to the southeast gateway of the sacred precinct, which in the classical period was roughly trapezoid in shape, measuring 200m/656ft from north to south and 130m/427ft from east to west, and surrounded by a plain enclosure wall.
Sanctuary of Apollo Theatre
A flight of steps leads up to the theater at the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi.
The theater (fourth century B.C., with later alterations down to the Roman period) could accommodate 5,000 spectators. It lay within the sacred precinct, as did the Lesche (Assembly Hall) of the Cnidians, built against the north wall of the precinct. From the theater there is a very fine view of the sacred precinct, extending down to the Marnaría below.
The theater (fourth century B.C., with later alterations down to the Roman period) could accommodate 5,000 spectators. It lay within the sacred precinct, as did the Lesche (Assembly Hall) of the Cnidians, built against the north wall of the precinct. From the theater there is a very fine view of the sacred precinct, extending down to the Marnaría below.
Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia / Tholos
An interesting section of the Delphi site is the Marmariá precinct, with the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia ("Athena in front of the temple" - i.e. the temple of Apollo). Beyond the later temple of Athena (fourth century B.C.) are the circular Tholos (soon after 400 B.C.; partly re-erected), which had Doric columns on the outside and Corinthian columns in the interior, the Ionic Treasury of Massilia (Marseilles), with a beautifully profiled base (ca. 530 B.C.), a Doric treasury (fifth century B.C.) and the older temple of Athena, built about 510 B.C. on the site of a still older building of the early sixth century, later destroyed by a rock fall and in 1905 damaged by a further rock fall. The Doric capitals of the earlier building, with their fine echinus mouldings, can still be seen, as can the capitals and columns, still standing, of the late Archaic temple. To the east of this temple - which, like the other Marmariá buildings, is oriented to the south - are a number of altars, extending towards the east gate of the precinct, which can still be identified. Further excavations are now under way in the southern part of the precinct.
Stadion
50m/165ft higher than the theater at the Sanctuary of Apollo, under a vertical rock face, is the Stadion, which received its final form in Roman times. Of this structure there survive the tiers of seating and the seats of honor on the north side, the rounded west end (sphendone) and part of the entrance at the east end. The presence of the theater and the stadion is a reminder that the Pythian Games were held at Delphi from 590 B.C. onwards - musical and athletic contests, which included chariot races in the Hippodrome in the valley below.
Statue
Room 11: statue of Agias (ca. 350 B.C.; by Lysippos?); acanthus column with three korai or Thyades (ca. 350 B.C.); head of a philosopher (ca. 280 B.C.).
Room 12: the Charioteer, the famous bronze statue of Sotades of Thespiai, dedicated by the Sicilian tyrant Polyzalos in thanksgiving for a victory in the chariot race at the Pythian Games in 478 or 474 B.C. In adjoining cases are fragments of the chariot and horses.
Room 13: bronzes; marble statue of Antinoos, the Emperor Hadrian's favorite (A.D. second century).
Room 12: the Charioteer, the famous bronze statue of Sotades of Thespiai, dedicated by the Sicilian tyrant Polyzalos in thanksgiving for a victory in the chariot race at the Pythian Games in 478 or 474 B.C. In adjoining cases are fragments of the chariot and horses.
Room 13: bronzes; marble statue of Antinoos, the Emperor Hadrian's favorite (A.D. second century).
Stele
Rooms 9 and 9A: stele from Marmariá depicting an athlete and his attendant (460 B.C.); circular altar with the figure of a girl (ca. 310 B.C.; head of Dionysos (fourth century B.C.).
Room 10 (to the right): architectural fragments from the Tholos in the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, including part of the entablature, with carved metopes, and semi-columns from the interior with Corinthian capitals (soon after 400 B.C.).
Room 10 (to the right): architectural fragments from the Tholos in the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, including part of the entablature, with carved metopes, and semi-columns from the interior with Corinthian capitals (soon after 400 B.C.).
Surroundings
There are various interesting sites near and around Delphi.
Temple of Apollo
The present Temple of Apollo at Delphi is the third on the site. The first temple, built in the seventh century B.C., was burned down in 548 B.C. The second was built by the Alcmaeonids in 531 B.C. after their expulsion from Athens by Peisistratos. In Archaic style, with 6 x 15 columns and sculpture depicting Apollo's coming to Delphi on the east pediment, it collapsed in 373, burying the pediment (fragments in Museum). The third temple, built between 346 and 320 B.C., preserved the elongated ground-plan of the Archaic temple and re-used the old column drums, but the detailing has the cool harmony of the late classical period. Of the main structure only the foundations are left, but we know that the pronaos contained inscriptions with the sayings of the Seven Sages (including the famous Apollonian imperative Gnothi seauton, "Know thyself") and that at the west end was the adyton, on a lower level, which contained the omphalos stone, a gold statue of Apollo, a laurel tree and (over the aperture for the oracle) the tripod of the Pythia. It is likely, according to Roux, that an area in the right-hand part of the adyton was curtained off for those seeking the oracle's advice.
The water of the Kassotis spring probably played some part in the cult of the oracle: according to Pausanias it "brought the women in the adyton of the god into a condition in which they could prophesy". With this Georges Roux associates the spring chamber on the terrace between the temple and the polygonal wall, to which a flight of 12 steps leads down. From the spring a channel runs into the foundations of the temple, and an outflow hole can be seen in the polygonal wall. This spring belonged to the second temple, but was removed during the building of the third temple in 346 B.C.
On the hillside above the temple stood the figure of the "Charioteer", now in the Museum, which was buried under a mass of earth brought down by an earthquake in 373 B.C. and was thus preserved from later metal-thieves. Close by is a large niche which once housed a sculptured representation of Alexander the Great's lion-hunt.
The water of the Kassotis spring probably played some part in the cult of the oracle: according to Pausanias it "brought the women in the adyton of the god into a condition in which they could prophesy". With this Georges Roux associates the spring chamber on the terrace between the temple and the polygonal wall, to which a flight of 12 steps leads down. From the spring a channel runs into the foundations of the temple, and an outflow hole can be seen in the polygonal wall. This spring belonged to the second temple, but was removed during the building of the third temple in 346 B.C.
On the hillside above the temple stood the figure of the "Charioteer", now in the Museum, which was buried under a mass of earth brought down by an earthquake in 373 B.C. and was thus preserved from later metal-thieves. Close by is a large niche which once housed a sculptured representation of Alexander the Great's lion-hunt.
Town
The present little town of Delphi, now a concentration of hotels and shops catering for tourists, was established only in 1892, when the village of Kastrí, which had grown up on the site of the temple of Apollo was moved to a new position 1km/.75mi west to allow excavation of the ancient site to proceed.
Treasuries
Along the next section of the Sacred Way, on the left, are the first of the more than 20 treasuries in which votive offerings were preserved from the weather and from theft - the Doric treasury of Sikyon (ca. 500 B.C.), in the foundations of which can be seen an earlier circular structure, and the Ionic treasury of the island of Siphnos (525 B.C.), considerable remains of which can be seen in the Museum. At the point where the Sacred Way bends northeast stands an omphalos stone set up here some years ago, recalling the ancient belief that Delphi was the central point, the navel (omphalos), of the world, established at the place where two eagles sent out by Zeus from the ends of the earth met one another.
Treasury of the Athenians
The Treasury of the Athenians (built in or shortly after 510 B.C.; re-erected 1903-06) is in the form of a Doric temple in antis. The metopes (copies: originals in the Museum) depict themes from the myths of Theseus and Herakles. Immediately beyond the treasury is the retaining wall, with shallow recesses for votive inscriptions, of the Bouleuterion.
Votive Offerings
Room 5: votive offerings of the seventh-fifth centuries B.C. found under the Sacred Way north of the Treasury of the Corinthians, including a life-size bull of silver and gold, carved ivories and impressive fragments of chryselephantine statues of Apollo and his sister Artemis. These new finds, offerings from eastern Greece and Asia Minor, are of particular importance, since they include the only examples so far discovered of chryselephantine sculpture. Previously all such figures, including such famous works as those by Pheidias in the Parthenon in Athens and the temple of Zeus at Olympia, had been lost and were known only from literature.
Ayios Nikolaos / Aghios Nikolaos
The port of Áyios Nikólaos is a good place from which to cross to the Peloponnese.
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