Temple of Delphi


The Temple of Apollo at Delphi served as a central component of a Panhellenic religious sanctuary, becoming renowned as the home of the Pythia, or Oracle of Delphi, who delivered prophecies consulted by individuals and city-states across the ancient Greek world from as early as the 8th century B.C.E.

⭐ In the context of Delphi, the Temple of Apollo is considered most significantly as…

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⭐ Core Definition: Temple of Delphi

The Temple of Apollo, also known as Apollonion, (Greek: Ἀπολλώνιον, romanizedApollṓnion) was a major part of the Panhellenic religious sanctuary located in Central Greece at Delphi. The temple and sanctuary at large were dedicated to one of the major Greek deities, Apollo, the god of archery, music, light, prophecy, the arts, and healing. There have been several temples built at Delphi throughout the history of the site, though the visible ruins seen in modernity are those of the temple built in the 4th century B.C.E. before its destruction under the orders of Theodosius I in 390 C.E.. During antiquity, the temple was home to the famous Greek prophetess the Pythia, or the Oracle of Delphi, making the Temple of Apollo and the sanctuary at Delphi a major Panhellenic religious site as early as the 8th century B.C.E., and a place of great importance at many different periods of ancient Greek history. References to Delphi, the sanctuary, the temple, and the prophecies of the Pythia are made throughout ancient Greek mythology and historical accounts from the periods of its use.

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In the context of Delphi, the Temple of Apollo is considered most significantly as…
HINT: The Temple of Apollo housed the Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, whose prophecies were highly sought after throughout the ancient Greek world, establishing the temple as a major religious and consultative center.

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Temple of Delphi in the context of Parallel Lives

The Parallel Lives (Ancient Greek: Βίοι Παράλληλοι, Bíoi Parállēloi; Latin: Vītae Parallēlae) is a series of 48 biographies of famous men written in Greek by the Greco-Roman philosopher, historian, and Apollonian priest Plutarch, probably at the beginning of the second century. The lives are arranged in pairs to illuminate their common moral virtues or failings.

The surviving Parallel Lives comprises 23 pairs of biographies, each pair consisting of one Greek and one Roman of similar destiny, such as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, or Demosthenes and Cicero. There are also four singular Lives, recounting the stories of Artaxerxes, Aratus, Galba, and Otho. Traces of other biographies point to an additional twelve single Lives that are now missing.

View the full Wikipedia page for Parallel Lives
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