lesson 6- the temple of Apollo, theatre and stadium

Question 1

what was a temenos?

Answer 1

the walls that surrounded the sanctuary of Apollo and encased all the religious buildings

Question 2

how was the god Dionysus associated with the theatre?

Answer 2

The theatre north-west of the temple of Apollo reflects the presence of Dionysus, the god of theatre at Delphi. It is the only competition space within the temenos as the stadium is just outside of it.

Question 3

how many rows of seats were there in the theatre?

Answer 3

35 rows of seats

Question 4

what was the audience capacity of the theatre?

Answer 4

catered to an audience of 5,000

Question 5

when was the theatre built?

Answer 5

Originally built in the 4th century BC, so it is worth remembering that until this time, when the sanctuary’s fame and reliability had already been firmly established, the theatre likely did not exist.

Question 6

What might an earlier theatre at Delphi have been like?

Answer 6

It could have been made of wood and was later replaced by stone but there is no archaeological evidence.

Question 7

when was the Pythian festival held?

Answer 7

every 8 years

Question 8

what happened during the pythian festival?

Answer 8

a single contest was held- it was the singing of a hymn to Apollo accompanied by the kithara, a stringed musical instrument, similar to the lyre.

Question 9

What replaced the Pythian festival in 582 BC?-genres of plays performed

Answer 9

The festival was replaced by the pythian games. The musical contests, which would have taken place in the theatre once it was built, consisted in singing to the kithara, kithara playing and flute playing.

Question 10

when was the pythian festival replaced by the pythian games?

Answer 10

582 BC

Question 11

What types of events took place in the theatre?

Answer 11

-genres of plays performed
-musical and rhapsodic contests, but the delphi appears in a series of Greek tragedies as well.

Question 12

what is the location of the stadium?

Answer 12

Located in the north-west of the sanctuary of Apollo, just outside the temenos wall

Question 13

when was the stadium originally built?

Answer 13

originally built in the 5th century

Question 14

when was the stadium restored?

Answer 14

2nd century AD

Question 15

what is the length of the track at the stadium?

Answer 15

177.5 metres long

Question 16

what was the audience capacity of the stadium?

Answer 16

6,500 spectators on both sides of the track

Question 17

what type of contests were held at the stadium?

Answer 17

-athletic contests
-running races
-field events (such as javelin and discus)

Question 18

How do we know that the stadium and athletic contests had religious significance?

Answer 18

One inscription, which is still in place today, forbids the removal of sacrificial wine out of the stadium

Question 19

Where were equestrian competitions held?

Answer 19

Held in the hippodrome, which was below the delphi, in the plain of crisa.

Question 20

Where were combat events held?

Answer 20

Took place in the palaestra, an exercise ground in the lower sanctuary

Question 21

what was promanteia?

Answer 21

-in front of the temple of apollo stands an enormous altar dedicated by the people of Chios to give them the privilege of consulting the oracle first (promanteia) this would have been highly prized honour since the oracle was only open five days per year.

promanteia meant the right to consult that oracle

Question 22

what was the significance of the temple of apollo?

Answer 22

a panhellenic sanctuary and the site of the pythian oracle of Apollo

Question 23

what is the temple of apollo dated from?

Answer 23

Earliest buildings are 6th century BC

Question 24

where is the temple of apollo located?

Answer 24

-situated in the centre of the sanctuary

Question 25

what are the architectural features of the temple of apollo?

Answer 25

-the temple was a hexastyle (6 columns along the front) with fifteen columns down the flanks- this elongated design had to accommodate an extra room, an adyton from where it was believed the pythia would speak the oracle.

Question 26

what was the adyton?

Answer 26

an extra room where it was believed the pythia would speak to the oracle

Question 27

what was the omphalos?

Answer 27

a stone omphalos, the navel and perhaps also a wood and a golden statue of Apollo, and a laurel tree, the tree commonly associated with Apollo, whose leaves the pythia was believed to have chewed on to reach her prophetic state.

Question 28

where was the omphalos found?

Answer 28

within the naos

Question 29

what did the inscriptions around the temple of apollo say?

Answer 29

-the temple was decorated with inscriptions and sculpture- for example the inscriptions on the temple known as the ‘delphic maxims’ the inscriptions were ‘know thyself’ and ‘nothing in excess’.

Question 30

what was the eastern pediment decorated with?

Answer 30

decorated with marble sculpture dating to the end of the 6th century; it showed the arrival of Apollo by chariot, with gods beside him. In the corners, lions are eating other animals, perhaps symbolising the hierarchy of the gods over other creatures.

Question 31

what did the west pediment of the temple of apollo depict?

Answer 31

-the west pediment likely showed the gigantomachy, the battle between the gods and the giants, with zeus in the centre.