Mount Parnassus is the great limestone mountain that dominates central Greece, rising in pale, sculpted ridges above the Gulf of Corinth and the plain of Amfissa. To the ancient Greeks it was sacred ground, the mountain of Apollo and the Muses, and on its southern slopes stands Delphi, once believed to be the very centre … Read more
The village of Delphi is a small mountain town in central Greece, set on the steep slopes of Mount Parnassus a short walk from the famous archaeological site. Its two main streets follow the contour of the hillside, and from many of its balconies the land falls away in a sea of silver olive trees … Read more
The Sacred Way at Delphi is the winding paved path that carries you up through the sanctuary of Apollo, climbing from the entrance to the terrace of the great temple. It was the processional spine of the whole site, the route every pilgrim, envoy and festival procession followed on the way to the oracle. Along … Read more
The Charioteer of Delphi is one of the most complete and moving bronze statues to survive from the ancient Greek world. Known in Greek as the Heniochos, meaning the rein-holder, this life-size figure of a young chariot driver stands calm and upright, his long belted robe falling in fluted folds and his inlaid eyes still … Read more
The Pythian Games were one of the great pan-Hellenic festivals of the ancient Greek world, staged high on the slopes of Mount Parnassus at the sanctuary of Delphi in honour of the god Apollo. Held once every four years, they ranked second only to the Olympic Games in prestige, drawing athletes, musicians, poets and spectators … Read more
On the lower bend of the Sacred Way at Delphi stands a small, bright building that catches almost every visitor’s eye: the Treasury of the Athenians. Compact yet perfectly proportioned, it was raised by the city of Athens to house the precious offerings its people dedicated to Apollo, and it survives today as the most … Read more
The ancient stadium of Delphi crowns the entire sanctuary, resting at the highest point of the archaeological site on the flank of Mount Parnassus. It is the best-preserved ancient stadium in Greece, a long stone arena where athletes competed in the Pythian Games held in honour of Apollo. Here you can still trace the tiered … Read more
High on the southern slope of Mount Parnassus, cradled inside the sacred precinct of Apollo, the ancient theatre of Delphi rises in curving rows of grey limestone above the ruins of the god’s temple. It is one of the best-preserved theatres of the classical Greek world, built to hold the musical and dramatic contests that … Read more
The Castalian Spring is one of the most atmospheric places at Delphi, a source of clear, cold water that rises deep in the ravine between the towering Phaedriades cliffs on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. For the ancient Greeks this was no ordinary spring. Its waters carried a sacred charge, and every person who climbed … Read more
The Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia sits on a green terrace at the foot of Delphi, just below the great sanctuary of Apollo, and it is the first sacred ground pilgrims reached as they arrived from the east. Its most beloved feature is the Tholos, a slender circular rotunda whose three re-erected columns rise against a … Read more