Delphi [antikvár]

DELPHI Delphi in 150 B. C. 1. The Temple of Apollo 2. Altar 3. Theatre 4. Athenian Treasure House 5. Siphnian Treasure House Phoebus Apollo, the son ofZeusand Leto, had been born on the little gránité island of Delos in the Cyclades, where his mother, pursued by the jealous Hera, had taken refuge. He descends in a blaze of light from the heights of Olympus, the home of the Gods of Ancient Greece, and passes down the green slopes of Parnassus to the South-West. At a steep abyss he stops. The splendid countryside at his feet is illumined in the early morning light and captures his attention. This is the spot Apollo chooses for his shrine - the site of ancient Delphi. We too, are absorbed in the aura of natural beauty which permeates the Delphic landscape. The rocks rise sheer to over 1900 ft. and form a semicircular barrier to the North. They are the Phaedriades, part of Mt. Parnassus (8069 ft.), and form an imposing picture. In this region, visited by earthquakes, a deep gorge separates the Phaedriades, and the freshly bubbling waters of the Castalia spring there out of the rocks. Delphi lies in what appears to be a vast amphitheatre opposite Mt. Kirphis. At its feet the little River Pleistos meanders in and out on its southwesterly course to the sea, passing through the wide olive-covered plain of the once famous Krissa district. The river flows into the sea not far from Itea where the ancient harbour of Kirrha was situated. Our gazé wanders continually over the contrasted scene. Huge eagles circle in the blue skies above and, at night, nightingales sing in the gloomy ravine of Castalia. Hidden caves and chasms gape, and slopes fali away menacingly. The area is steeped in myth. Senstive people feel numbing wave-like influences. It is said that the first person to yield to their effects was an itinerant shepherd who lived centuries before the Classical period of Greek culture. He stopped walking and suddenly spoke inspired words.