The Truth Behind the Powerful Oracles of Ancient Greece
The Oracles of Delphi — Why were they so powerful?
Classical Greece encompasses the era from the demise of the Mycenaean civilization (about 1200 BCE) until the time of Alexander the Great’s death (around 323 BCE). Political, intellectual, artistic, and scientific advances during this time left an indelible mark on Western culture.
Divination, the transfer of godly wisdom to mortals, had a central role in the religion of ancient Greece. Various methods of divination were used, such as reading the entrails of sacrificed animals or the patterns of migratory birds. However, talking to a god via a medium was arguably the most influential type of divination. The name “oracle” was used to describe this go-between.
People went to temples and other fixed places in ancient Greece to consult with oracles. Zeus, the supreme deity, maintained two of the most revered oracles in the ancient world in the cities of Olympia and Dodona. Other than in Delos and in the city of Didyma in Asia Minor, Apollo oracles could be found throughout the Mediterranean. Nonetheless, their most famous and enduring was the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi.
Over the centuries, the institution and idea of the Oracle of Delphi have intrigued numerous cultures. Several historical…
