Delphi

Question 1

Who was the predominant god worshipped at the Panhellenic sanctuary at Delphi?

Answer 1

Apollo

Question 2

When was Dionysus said to occupy Delphi?

Answer 2

Three winter months while Apollo was elsewhere

Question 3

Who was the priestess who spoke the oracle at Delphi?

Answer 3

The Pythia

Question 4

Who dedicated the Great Altar and what did they receive for this?

Answer 4

The people of Chios, and promanteia (honour to consult the oracle first)

Question 5

Why was promanteia a great honour at Delphi?

Answer 5

The oracle was only open a few days a year

Question 6

How many columns did the Temple of Apollo have?

Answer 6

Six along the front (hexastyle), 15 down the sides- elongated

Question 7

Why was the temple of Apollo elongated?

Answer 7

To accommodate an extra room- an adyton- from where it’s believed the Pythia would speak the oracle

Question 8

What is significant about the site of Delphi?

Answer 8

Said to be the center of the world- Zeus sent two eagles from either end of the world and Delphi was where they passed each other- marked by stone omphalos

Question 9

What were the inscriptions on the Temple of Apollo?

Answer 9

Know thyself and nothing in excess

Question 10

What was there a statue of outside the Temple of Apollo?

Answer 10

A Delphic charioteer, victory monument from Olympic Games, bronze and highly ornate

Question 11

What was within the naos?

Answer 11

A stone omphalos, perhaps a wooden and gold statue of Apollo, a laurel tree the leaves of which the Pythia was said to chew to reach prophetic state

Question 12

What was depicted on the eastern pediment of the temple of Apollo?

Answer 12

The arrival of Apollo by chariot

Question 13

What did the west pediment of the temple of Apollo likely show?

Answer 13

The Gigantomachy, with Zeus in the centre

Question 14

When was the Sacred Way constructed?

Answer 14

The final phase of the sanctuary’s history

Question 15

What was the purpose of the treasuries at Delphi?

Answer 15

Housed votive offerings, way for city states to demonstrate their wealth and power

Question 16

What did the topography of Delphi mean for the journey along the Sacred Way?

Answer 16

Steep,made the journey visually exciting and made the site seem larger since from below couldn’t see it all at once

Question 17

What were the monuments at the entrance to the sanctuary?

Answer 17

Athena had a victory monument. After Spartan defeat of Athens they built a monument 3x bigger opposite Athenian monument.

Question 18

What is the Serpent Column a monument to?

Answer 18

A monument that reflects unity and alliance- monument to an alliance of Greek states that won a war

Question 19

What was the Serpent Column?

Answer 19

A 9 metre tall monument, 3 bronze serpents coiled together in a column with a golden tripod on top, inscribed with the names of the 31 city states in the alliance- exposing those not part of alliance

Question 20

What was the Treasury of the Siphonians like?

Answer 20

Made of marble, decorated with elaborate sculptures and caryatids, promotes the island in the Panhellenic setting of Delphi

Question 21

Which city-states erected the majority of the treasuries at Delphi?

Answer 21

Faraway polies on the edges of the Panhellenic world

Question 22

What is the only competition space within the temenos (religious boundary) at Delphi?

Answer 22

The Theatre

Question 23

How large of an audience did the theatre originally cater to?

Answer 23

5000

Question 24

When were the Pythian games first recorded?

Answer 24

582 BC

Question 25

What did the musical contests in the Pythian games consist of?

Answer 25

Singing to the kithara, kithara playing, flute playing

Question 26

When was the stadium at Delphi originally built?

Answer 26

5th century BC

Question 27

How long was the stadium track at Delphi?

Answer 27

177.5 metres

Question 28

What does an inscription in the stadium at Delphi forbid?

Answer 28

Removal of sacrificial wine from the stadium

Question 29

Where did the majority of the athletic contests of the Pythian Games take place?

Answer 29

The stadium

Question 30

What did worshippers have to do before consulting the Pythia?

Answer 30

Buy and burn a pelanos (sacrificial cake) from Delphians

Question 31

What are the reasons people consulted the Pythia?

Answer 31

Genuine trust in the oracle- Xeneophon’s writing suggests this; journey was time to reflect; place for city-states to learn about what was happening in other regions; vague answers left room for interpretation; once in a lifetime experience for some

Question 32

What does Herodotus’ telling of the Athenian Delphic consultation reveal?

Answer 32

The consultations were believed without question; second consultation could be sought to find out more information