DELPHI (the Pytho of Homer and Herodotus; in Boeotian inscriptions BEX,fkot, on coins AaX0o1), a place in ancient Greece in the territory of Phocis, famous as the seat of the most impor tant temple and oracle of Apollo. It was situated about 6 m. from the north shore of the Corinthian gulf, in a rugged glen, closed on the N. by the wall-like under-cliffs of Mount Parnassus known as the Phaedriades or shining rocks, and on the S. by Mount Cirphis. Between the two mountains the Pleistus stream flowing from east to west, receives the brooklet which rises a3 the Castalian fountain in a deep gorge in the Parnassian cliff. About 7 m. to the north, on the side of Mount Parnassus, was the famous Corycian cave, which afforded the people of Delphi a refuge during the Persian invasion. It is now called in the district the Sarant' Aulai or Forty Courts, and is said to be capable of holding 3,000 people.
I. Site.—The site of Delphi was occupied by the modern vil lage of Castri until it was bought by the French government in 1891. Systematic excavation began in 1892. The plan of the pre cinct is now easily traced, and with the help of Pausanias many of the buildings have been identified.
The ancient "Hellenico" wall running east and west and the two boundary walls running up the hill at each end of it, are clear. In the eastern part was the main entrance by which Pausanias en tered along the Sacred Way. This road zigzags up the hill, with treasuries and bases of offerings on both sides. First westwards to an open space, then eastwards till it reaches the eastern end of the terrace wall that supports the temple. Here it curves up north and then west towards the temple. Above this, are the Lesche and the theatre, and on a higher level still, to the west, is the stadium. In describing the monuments, the simplest plan is to follow Pau sanias. Outside the entrance is a paved court flanked by a Roman colonnade. On the north side of the Sacred Way, close to the main entrance, stood the offering dedicated by the Lacedaemonians after the battle of Aegospotami, a quadrangular building with a back wall but stood open to the road. On a stepped pedestal stood statues of the gods and the admirals.
The statues of the Epigoni stood on a semicircular basis on the south side of the way; opposite them another semicircular basis carried the statues of the Argive kings. Farther west was the Sicyonian treasury south of the way, a small Doric temple in antis, with its entrance on the east. The sculptures from this treasury (in the museum) are in rough limestone, and most likely belong to an earlier building.
The Cnidian treasury (originally surmised by the excavators to be the treasury of Siphnos) stands south of the way farther west. It is a small Ionic temple of marble with two caryatids between antae on a substructure. The sculpture from its frieze and pediment is of great interest and the fragments of architec tural mouldings are of great delicacy and beauty; perhaps the most perfect example of the transitional style of the early 5th century. Standing back from the path as it bends is the Theban treasury; then where the path turns again, the Athenian. This structure, a small Doric temple in antis, has been rebuilt with the original blocks. There can be no doubt about the identity of the building, for the basis bears the iemains of the dedicatory inscription, stating that it was erected from the spoils of Marathon. The sculptured metopes are of the highest interest. The famous in scriptions with hymns to Apollo accompanied by musical notation were found on stones belonging to this treasury.
Above the Athenian treasury is the "Sybil's rock." Here, too, was placed the curious column, on which stood the colossal sphinx, dedicated by the Naxians, now in the museum.
A little farther on, but below the Sacred Way, another open space, of circular form, is perhaps the sacred threshing-floor on which the drama of the slaying of the Python by Apollo was periodically performed. Opposite, and backed against the beau tifully jointed polygonal wall which supports the terrace on which the temple stands, is the colonnade of the Athenians, now assigned to the end of the 6th century. The polygonal wall at the back is covered with inscriptions concerning the manumission of slaves.
After passing the Great Altar, dedicated by the Chians, on the lef t the way enters the space in front of the temple, with remains of offerings by the Cyrenians and by the Corinthians. The site of the temple shows successive structures. Of that built by the Alcmaeonids in the 6th century B.C. considerable remains have been found. Sculptures assigned to this building are archaic and resemble those from the early temple of Athena at Athens. The existing foundations are of the 4th century. They give no certain information as to the sacred cleft and other matters relating to the oracle. Up in the north-eastern corner of the precinct, at the f oot of the cliffs, is the interesting Cnidian clubhouse, a long narrow building; the famous paintings were probably disposed so as to meet in the middle of the north side. Scanty fragments of the frescoed walls are not enough to give information as to the work of Polygnotus.
At the north-western corner of the precinct is the theatre. The stadium lies to the north-west on a narrow plateau supported by a terrace wall. The seats are well preserved; some are hewn in the rock. An immense number of inscriptions have been found in the excavations, and many works of art, including a bronze charioteer (see GREEK ART).
II. History.—Our information as to the oracle at Delphi and how it was consulted is confused; probably ritual varied. The tale of intoxicating "mephitic" vapour has no early authority, nor is it scientifically probable. The questions had to be given in writing, and the responses were uttered by the Pythian priestess, in early times a maiden, later a woman over 5o attired as a maiden. After chewing the sacred bay and drinking of the spring Cassotis, which was conducted into the temple by artificial chan nels, she took her seat on the sacred tripod in the inner shrine. Her utterances were reduced to verse and edited by the prophets and the "holy men" (6o-toc). (See also ORACLE.) Delphi also contained the "Omphalos," a sacred stone bound with fillets, supposed to mark the centre of the earth. It was said Zeus had started two eagles from the opposite extremities and they met there. Other tales said the stone was the one given by Rhea to Cronus as a substitute for Zeus.
For the history of the Delphic Amphictyony see under AMPHIC TYONY. The oracle at Delphi was asserted by tradition to have existed before the introduction of Apollo-worship and to have be longed to the goddess Earth (Ge or Gaia). The Homeric Hymn to Apollo evidently combines two different versions, the approach of Apollo from the north by land, and the introduction of his votaries from Crete. The earliest stone temple built by Trophonius and Agamedes, was destroyed by fire in 548 B.C., and the contract for rebuilding was undertaken by the exiled Alcmaeonidae from Athens, who generously substituted marble on the eastern front for the specified limestone. Portions of the pediments of this temple have been found in the excavations; but no sign of the pediments mentioned by Pausanias, representing on the east Apollo and the Muses, and on the west Dionysus and the Thyiades (Bacchantes), and designed by Praxias, the pupil of Calanias. The temple seen by Pausanias (of which the foundations were found by the excavators) was that of which the building is re corded in inscriptions of the 4th century.
A raid on Delphi attempted by the Persians in 48o B.C. was said to have been frustrated by the god himself, by means of a storm or earthquake which hurled rocks down on the invaders; a similar tale is told of the raid of the Gauls in 279 B.C. But the sacrilege thus escaped was inflicted by the Phocian defenders of Delphi during the Sacred War, 356-346 B.C., when many precious offerings were melted down. The Phocians were condemned to replace their value to the amount of i o,000 talents, which they paid in instalments. In 86 B.C. the sanctuary and its treasures were put under contribution by L. Cornelius Sulla for the pay ment of his soldiers ; Nero removed no fewer than 50o bronze statues from the sacred precincts ; Constantine the Great enriched his new city by the sacred tripod and its support of intertwined snakes dedicated by the Greek cities of ter the battle of Plataea. This still exists, with its inscription, in the Hippodrome at Con stantinople. Julian afterwards sent Oribasius to restore the temple; but the oracle responded to the emperor's enthusiasm with nothing but a wail over the glory that had departed.
Provisional accounts of the excavations appeared during the excava tions in the Bulletin de correspondance hellenique. A summary is given in J. G. Frazer, Pausanias, vol. v. The official account is entitled Fouilles de Delphes. For history see Hiller von Gartringen in Pauly Wissowa, Realencyclopadie, s.v. "Delphi." For cult see L. R. Farnell, Cults of the Greek States, iv. 179-218.