synonymTemple of Apollo (World Cultural Heritage) generally refers to Delphi
Delphi is an important "Pan Greek Holy Land", that isancient GreekThe common holy land of the city-state.This place is mainly dedicated to "Delphi'sApollo(Apollo pythien, hereinafter referred to as "Apollo"), the famous DelphiOracleIt is promulgated here.Delphi is located in Fukis (Φ ω κ) and has been listedthe United NationsUNESCO'sWorld Heritage List。
“Pan Greek Holy Land”It is external to city-state politicsComplex structureIn religious sense, it is said that the only way to provide all Greeks with self-awarenessTemple of Apollo The motto "Know yourself" is engraved on the entrance of the.
“Delphi”The name is said to come from the dolphin (δε λ φ ∨/delphi):HomerIn his poems,ApolloIn order to create a sect in this place, it was once attracted by the image of this animalCreteThe voyagers came to be the first priests.
archaeologyThe earliest signs of human habitation in Upper Delphi can be traced back toPaleolithic Age。A medium-sized village around 1400 BC named "Python" was excavated from the site of the Holy Land, which is also the old name of Delphi.It was abandoned between about 1400 BC and 800 BC, and the Holy Land seen in the 21st century may have begun to develop in this period, with the first altar and the first temple. They may have been placed on a natural seam according to Delphi and ancient Greek traditions, so that natural gas can be exported（Strabo：IX, 3, 5）。
Especially during the period from the middle of the 8th century to the middle of the 7th century, Apollo worship gained a high reputation because he was the patron saint of the colonial cause in full swing at that time.
In 373 years ago, an earthquake severely damaged the buildings of the Holy Land, and played a decisive role in its fate.It was in the second half of the first four centuries that Greece experienced political turbulence while it was hard to repair, and the Holy Land gradually declined.Since Roman rule in the first century AD, no new buildings have appeared in the Holy Land.
In 392,Roman emperorTheodosius I Prohibition by issuing an orderPaganismBelief marksApolloThe end of worship.The site of the Holy Land was occupied by a village in the early AD and rediscovered in the 15th century.
The myth source of Delphi Holy Land is worth a book. It is said that he himself founded it after he founded the temple of Delos.When he came to Delphi, there was aPython“Pitong”(Python) Watchman, which isGaia(Earth) was born and guarded an oracle belonging to Themis.ApolloHe hoped to guide people with his own oracle, so he shot Pitong with a bow and replaced the Holy Land.
This myth depicts Apollo as aconqueror/The founder, which explains why he can become the patron saint of colonial activities, and why his worship spreads in all colonies.At the same time, it also places the oracle at the core of the Holy Land.
Temple of Apollo
In fact, the Holy Land of Delphi is "oracular", where the word of God is transmitted to mortals through Pitya (Delphi's prophetess).thisPriestessTraditionally, she was an uneducated young virgin (later evolved into an old woman, but still dressed as a girl). She sat on a tripod, which was supported in the ravine (ἄ δντν ν/Adyton) where the oracle was produced. The crack below is the crack that produces natural gas.Pitya holds a "phiale" (a flat plate for pouring sacrifices) and aLaurel(The sacred tree of Apollo).
The consultation on the oracle was initially annual, and the Apollo Festival was held on the seventh day of the month "Bysius" in the Delphi calendar (between February and March in the Gregorian calendar).Later, it evolved into a year (legend) that Apollo held a ceremony on the seventh day of each month during the nine months he lived there, and this day was called "polyphthoos" (a day with many problems).
There are some rituals to be performed before the inquiry, which are completed by the prophetess with the cooperation of two priests.The latter served the temple all his life, under which there were five ritual "hosioi" (holy man) and two male prophets, one of whom assisted Pitya to translate her prophecy into a language that ordinary people could understand.The language of God is usually translated into verse, using six syllable stepsA line of poetry（hexameter）。We still do not know whether the prophetess can be seen, because there is no reliable witness on this issue.
modernHistory of historiographyResearch basis ofancient GreekIt may be traced back to the tradition of Delphi to find the origin of the language that Pitya revealed in the ceremony.It has always been said that she was paralyzed by inhaling the gas diffused from the stratum. However, this statement has been questioned by many people becauseAthens College, FranceThe excavation ofTemple of Apollo Legendary cracks were found underground, and they believed that the local shale geology also prevented the gas from escaping.But a new study shows that the Delphi relic is indeed located at the intersection of two faults, and the underground is rich inAsphalteneLimestonecrustal movementMay occur inethyleneThe latter has nerve paralysis effect on people.These details andPlutarchThe historical records of the book coincide, providing a new possibility of interpretation.
The operation of the oracle has undergone many changes in history. According to Plutarch, one of the most authoritative witnesses, who was once a priest of the temple, there was only one prophetess in the temple in his time (the first century AD), and she received a request once a month;Before the peak of the ceremony, three priestesses had to take turns to replace each other to cope with the long line of requests.In another temple of Apollo, the oracle was only transmitted to the spirit of the prophet through ideas, which made him/her possible to play more freely.
In the Christian era, Jinkou Ruowang believed that Pitya was a woman possessed by the devil, and it penetrated into the female prophet from the deep stratum under the tripod.
What needs to be added is thatMYTHOSIn China, Delphi is the center of the world.Therefore, a conical stone pillar, called Onfalos (meaning "the belly button of the earth"), is erected in "Adyton", supported by two golden eagles, symbolizing this status.legendZeusTwo were released in the opposite directionGoshawkTo measure the earth, and the place where they met was Delphi.
Every year, whenApolloThere was no oracle when I left, which led to countless believers waiting for the reopening of the oracle every year.Therefore, the priests of the temple have the right to arrange the priority to participate in the ceremony (Προ μ αντε).The participants first offered appropriate gifts to the god, and then the priest poured some cold water on a goat. If it did not tremble, it would be considered as an ominous sign, and the ceremony would not be carried out;If the worshiper is accepted, the goat will be offered, and he can enter the temple to the prophetessAsk questionsOf course, whether this question is answered or not depends onGod's willHas.
In the winter months, Apollo would leave the Holy Land of DelphiHebrillSelf purification, so his position in Delphi wasDionysusReplaced by.The latter occurs three months in winter, which isParnassusThe last religious ceremony,Raw foodThe object of worship of Thyades (probably equivalent to Maynards/Maenads).There is also a tomb of Dionysus in "Adyton".
This god's position is due to hisApolloAnd gradually changed. At first, he was lower thanHeliosBut later, because he was equal to God, he gradually integrated into Apollo's divinity, and the two became inseparable.Therefore, while Delphi's reputation has spread,DionysusThe sect also gained pan Greek belief.
Death of Aesop
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Aesop(620-560 BC)ThraceA slave family in the area.This isBalkan PeninsulaA piece of land on theBulgariaandturkeyAdjacent areas.Slaves generally engaged in heavy mining work or worked on the land. If they were lucky enough, they would be able toSlave ownerAt home.
Temple of Athena
A slave may obtain freedom (called liberation) through hard work and loyal service.Aesop is ahumpback, andstutter, he served two masters successively.The latter owner gradually noticed Aesop's intelligence and considerate service. Finally, he let Aesop get freedom.Free slaves are allowed to participatepublic affairs, you can also travel at will.Aesop traveled around, learned knowledge hungrily, and gradually won the reputation of intelligent and noble people.As he grew older, his reputation spread to other countries.
Aesop became more famous after he arrived in Sardis.Sardis isLydia (Lydia) The capital of an ancient country, which is equivalent to the area near Turkey today.At that time, the king of Lydia was Croesus.He is very rich. There is a saying in English that he is "as rich as Chris".He is very willing to fund scholars.He supported Aesop to communicate with the smartest and wisest people at that time, including the two most famous smart people in Greece,Solon(Solon) and Thales.AesopHe never lost ground in front of these smart people, and all this left a deep impression on Chris, so he arranged for Aesop to live in Sardis forever.During this time, Aesop began to collect information aboutHuman behaviorThe story of.He uses shortfable storyTo reveal the truth and tell people what is the right life.He endowed animals with human nature and arranged them to have various conflicts.Many moral fables are alarmist.His story was very popular and passed down from generation to generation through word of mouth.
Because Aesop had a keen mind and skilled skills, Clethas assigned him many different diplomatic tasks, assigning him to work in Athens or Corinth.Aesop used his fables to calm tension, build consensus and promotePolitical management。But it was in a diplomatic work that,AesopCame to the end of his life.
Once, in order to show mercy to his subjects, Chris sent Aesop to Delphi to distribute a large amount of gold to the citizens.Delphi is the birthplace of the oracle and the most famous one in ancient GreeceSacred Place。But this time, Aesop was very angry when he saw people's greed and ingratitude when facing such a large amount of money.He tried to tell people through his fables that he should correct his unpromising behavior, but with little effect.In the end, Aesop, who was extremely disappointed with the citizens of Delphi, collected the gold and wanted to return it to Kansas.When people learned that Aesop had done so, they were completely angry.The crazy people, regardless of Aesop's diplomatic status and reputation for wisdom, regarded him as a criminal who committed a crime against the public and pushed him off the cliff.
Soon after, Delphi suffered a series of disasters.Many people believe that so much bad luck is due to wrong killingAesopBring.The idiom "troubled by Aesop's blood" has been passed down from generation to generation, which means that after doing bad things to others, they will be punished eventually.The people of Delphi finally paid the price for their crimes against Aesop.Lysippus(Lysippus) is a famous sculptor in ancient Greece. In memory of this fabler, he built a statue of Aesop in Athens.
Main relics
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Formative structure
Composition and Structure of Delphi Greek Holy Land
The main feature of the Holy Land is its altar (bomos), which is the core part of the Holy Land, enabling people to practice sacraments.
Column of Apollo Temple (Phase VI)
The temple is the building where the gods are kept. People believe that the gods will live here regularly.In Delphi,Temple of Apollo The status of the statue is special, because the statue is only in a secondary position in the Holy Land, giving way toOracleThe exists of.According to legend, the temple was built on a volcanic fault, which went straight to the deep underground and passed through it,ApolloCan communicate with ordinary people;Delphi's oracle, through Pitya's intermediary, reveals the language of God to the world, which is the main function of the temple.
Before the construction of the temple, its location was carefully surveyed, so that it could be seen from any corner of the holy land, that is, a ἐᾶ ᾶ ᾶ ᾶ ᾶ ϒ ό ό ό πό (the most prominent place).DelphiTemple of Apollo It is located on the hillside of Mount Panassos, whose peak is 2459 meters high. From this height, you can overlook the whole central Greece.The hillside is very steep, and there is another one not far belowAthena(Athena Pronaia, "Athena Prior to the Temple"), who takes care of (and "prior to") this holy place.
Visitors walk into the Holy Land of Delphi from the "Holy Road", which is a road lined with various monuments on both sides, including those dedicated by more than 20 city statesMemorial buildingsMost of them are treasure houses (tr é sor), which display the ex voto offerings to gods.These offerings are either for religious or political purposes.In these prayersChapelIn general, there is a special place for storing objects representing divinity;The other place where the praying objects are stored is a trench, which is excavated on the ground of the "open space", that is, in the sacred area.
The Holy Land also has stadiumsRacetrackas well asGymnasiumThey are the host of the four yearly Jeux Pythiques.This movement willOlympic GamesIt is also an important festival with the influence of all Greece. It is carried out according to the very strict religious calendar.However, the splendor of the Games wasOlympic GamesIt's completely overcast.
For the organization of festivals, especially the management of the Pan Greek Holy Land, the Greeks usually form“Nearby Alliance”(Amphictyonic League (English)), the federation of neighboring city-state, to carry out joint management.Delphi's Neighborhood Alliance, known as the "Great Neighborhood Alliance", is the most important equivalent organization in Greece. It has been organized since 590 years ago, including a dozen city states.It is this alliance that funds the construction of holy places and supervises the renovation or reconstruction of temples, as was the case at the end of the sixth century.
Just like modern tourist attractions, the small city where Delphi Holy Land is located has maintained its prosperity because of visitors from all over Greece since the 6th century BC.
Temple of Apollo
In his work, Pausanias mentioned that there were six buildings on this siteTemple of Apollo , probably originally built with laurel twigsThatched cottage。The last two may also be built with materials that are not durable, and no trace of them has been found in archaeological excavations.The fourth temple, built with plaster by Trophonios and Agamedes, was destroyed in the fire of 538 BC.The fifth and sixth temples are similar in layout, and they are also the most well-known.The previous one was built with stone, and adoptedarchaic period Some of them were reused on the base of the sixth temple.
The sixth temple, built in the 4th century, remains today.Its layout is rectangular, with length and width of 60.32m and 23.82m respectively. There are six Taolik columns on the front and back, and 15 stone columns of the same style on the side.Its architect is Spintharos of Corinth, who deliberately imitates the previous example.This version seems relatively simple, which may be due to the limited economic conditions during reconstruction.
SacrificialaltarLocated in front of the temple, it was rebuilt in the 20th century with the support of Chios.Because the ancient altar was a gift from Hios, probably for the reconstruction of the fifth temple destroyed by the earthquake in 373 BC.
Other relics
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Delphi Holy Land also has many other historic sites, some of which are more thanTemple of Apollo More spectacular, most of which have the nature of praying or commemoration.Therefore, the site occupies a particularly long area;It should be pointed out that not all of these memorial buildings coexist at the same time, but many of them are redrawn in the modern presentation of the site.
Similarly, in order to explain the evolution of the land occupied by the site, the terrain of the site must be taken into account (the layout of the Holy Land can be divided into three steps: theater, temple, and other buildings).Also to be considerednatural disaster(fire, earthquake, etc.) and those that greatly affect the level of sacrifice and construction projectsPolitical events。
The spatial distribution of buildings is very uneven. Some areas are densely arranged, while others are very open.The size of buildings also varies a lot, but most of them are of medium size, which may be due to the consideration of cost and space use.
At the same time, we also need to pay attention to religioncalendarThe general worship ceremony of Shanglin Forest needs space, especially some public celebrations (such as "religious speeches"/Pan é gyries);Various ceremonies, music competitions and drama performances may also have their own needs for architectural arrangements.
Prayers stored in Delphi Temple Square
Delphi's Athenian Treasure
stayTemple of Apollo On the square open space (« Aire »), there are two ditches on the ground which is parallel to the square in the previous fifth century. They may be excavated because people have no other place to place personal sacrifices, or they may be the foundation of an ancient burnt building.In the 20th century, a considerable number of "ex voto" were excavated in this ditch.
These sacrificial offerings are the marks left by the most glorious period of the site, dating from the 9th century to the 5th century.There are many bronzes among them: this alloy was quite rare in the first eight centuries, so it became a precious material, which was presented in the form of statuettes and tripods in large numbers in Delphi.
*These bronze figurines, dated from the 9th century to the 8th century ago, were made by the "lost wax casting method".The general process of this disappearing technology is: use wax to make the prototype, on this basis make a mold, melt the wax out, then pour the melted bronze into the shape, and finally break the mold out of the finished product.In this process, the prototype and mold are disposable, so that each finished product is unique.These statuettes show that there was no image of gods at that time. They generally represented men, women and soldiers, of which the latter were men sitting on chariots or horses;Their shapes are very similar to those on the painting materials.
Many offerings shaped like bronze tripods were also found (Pitya usually sits on the tripod).At first, the tripod was used to place a small pot to cook sacred dishes, which was very symbolic.Sometimes the tripod and the pot are presented together, sometimes separately.Some small pots have handles (called "protomes"), which are usually the faces of legendary creatures, such as the image of Griffin.These legendary elements are derived fromBabylonThe image of the Orient was copied by Greek craftsmen in the trend of "orientalization" at that time.
Other valuable gifts stored include:
A small ivory sculpture representing an upright male god（Apollo？），He held a spear in one hand, and put the other hand on the head of a beast he domesticated.This is also a portrait borrowed from the East.The size of this god is quite large. There is a small circle around the base with typical Greek decoration: winding river (7th century BC);
oSphinx(Sphinx originated fromOriental CultureThe Greeks transformed it into a female image. She has a woman's head, wings andcatamountYour body;People gave her the power of prophecy);
Later offerings (after the fifth century BC) portrayed body curves and clothes in a more delicate and authentic way.
Delphi - a praying memorial building
At the foot of the Holy Land, there is a path leading to the location of the temple. On both sides of this narrow "God Road", there are some patchwork style memorial buildings, which are mainly designed to store contributions to gods to express gratitude to him or commemorate festive events.
From the 6th century to the 4th century, people built three kinds of medium-sized buildings:
treasury;
Prayer column;
Sculpture library.
treasury
The treasure house is a medium-sized building built on the holy site. Their distribution is not planned. It is built by the city states themselves during festivals.As a "prayer hall", they contain various sacrificial objects and works of art used to celebrate the glory of the city-state.There are treasure houses built on various holy sites in Greece, and Delphi is the place where the treasure houses are most concentrated, about more than 20.Many sacrifices stored in the treasure house have been lost, but the charm of the building itself is still valuable.
The earliest treasure houses, such as the Corinthian treasure house built about 600 years ago under the tyrant Cypselus, are simple rooms.However, since 530 years ago, foyers with two Ionic or Tauric pillars have become popular.
The most famous treasures are:
Severus IslandThe treasure house (about 525 BC) was built by the residents of Siphnus Island.This is a real treasure box building, and the decoration and sculpture of Ioni style are brought into full play:Cornice wallIt is continuous. Each facade is carved with a theme, and the most vivid one showsThe Olympian Gods Sit and decideTROYIn front of them, the Greeks are struggling to fight.
The Athenian Treasure House, which rose about 485 BC, is a carefully selected work. It is located at the last corner of the holy road in front of the temple, so it can be seen from both the entrance of the Holy Land and the temple.It covers an area of 6.5m × 9.5m, to commemorateMarathon CampaignAnd build it after the victory.It is decorated byGearshift trimIt is composed of and represents different story scenes in Greek mythology: the front depicts the GreekAmazonBattle scenes;On the left is painted the symbol of AthensTheseus OfHeroic deedsBecause the latter was the first king of Athens and the founder of the city;On the right wall is the symbol of PeloponnesusHeraclesHeroic deeds of fighting against barbarians;Finally, on the back wall is the story of Hercules leading back the giant Gregorn's cattle.This is the buildingPolitical motivation, showing that the AtheniansApolloThe purpose of protecting Greece from barbarians is close to the limit of the so-called "hybris" in Greek morality, that is, to try to challenge the gods beyond the status of mortals.
The latest treasure house is the Tebai treasure house (about 370 BC) andcyrene Treasure (350 BC - 325 BC), so it can be concluded that this architectural trend in Delphi lasted less than two centuries.
Prayer column
Since the first four centuries, perhaps out of consideration of space conservation, another form of sacrifice has become popular, that is, prayer columns and columns.Columns (single or double) and columns are used to hold the sacrifice high to show its value, usually to show the rulersBronze sculpture 。
Naxos IslandOne of the earliest monuments of this kind is the column built in about 575 BC.It is very tall, even close to the topTemple of Apollo Is located at the foot of the buildingchthonic The region of belief.It has a longColumn shaft, and a spectacular Ioni column head, on which a two meter highSphinx（“NaxosSphinx ").This beast may be guardingDionysusThe latter is the patron saint of the Naxos.A small inscription on the pillar indicates that the Naxos may have obtained the priority of consulting the oracle (promenteia) because of this sacrifice.
The dancer's column is a 370 year old work decorated withJute bedFoliage(acanthe), which bears a novel crest: three young women support a tripod, in which Onfalos, the symbol of Delphi, is placed.
At the lower part of the Holy Land, on the left side of the entrance, there used to be a very grand memorial sculpture, which was later replaced by different themes by competing cities.Now we can see two monuments that symbolize the beginning of this competition:MattaiadeStatues andLu ShandeThe statue, or the "Statue of the Naval Superintendent" (ν ανα ρ × Nanarchea).
The statue of Matthias was donated by the Athenians to commemorate the victory of the Greeks over the PersiansMarathon Campaign。It is composed of 13 sculptures byFIDIAS（Parthenon TempleDesigners and builders).These sculptures combine AthenaApolloIn the same scene, there are ten victorious heroes and three Athenian consuls.
The statue of Lu Shande is next to the statue of Mityad. It has a base on which a set of bronze sculptures are placed. At the back, there are 28 sculptures representing all the people who participated in the battle of Egos River,Lu ShandeleadSpartaThe navy defeated the sea power of Athens with fewer enemies and more.There are ten sculptures in front, representing“ZeusThe scene of "the son of" (Δ όόόόόόόόόόόόόόόόό), the characters appearing are Castor and Pollux, Zeus, ApolloArtemisas well asPoseidon, those who came out also tookGarlandLu Shande, a messenger and the pilot of the flagship.
The arrangement of statues has very obvious political considerations, hoping to be higher thanMattaiadeThe monuments, and the purposes of the two are similar.Because Lu Shande didn't want to be criticized as arrogance, he put the gods in the front row, and in the sculpture of Mitaiad, they appeared in the same scene as the mortals.
