Standing at the Center of the World

By: Kirk G.

The town of Delphi is a quaint, mountainside village on… You guessed it, the mountain range of Delphi, which Greeks consider to be the center of the world. To contextualize “quaint”, the town is composed of two one-way roads: one moving east, and one west.  The mountains of Delphi hold much historical significance to the Greeks, specifically due to the prophetic Oracle of Delphi who is most known from the famous story of Croesus. As the story goes, Croesus, the king of Lydia, wanted to attack the Persian Empire. Croesus consulted the Oracle at the height of Mount. Parnassus and asked what would happen should he choose to wage war with Persia. The Oracle responded that “if Croesus invades Persia, he will destroy a great empire.” Croesus arrogantly interpreted this message as assurance that he would destroy the Persian Empire.  However, when he invaded, the kingdom that fell was his own. Other stories about the Oracle of Delphi have been popularized over the years, and the mountain site has been a location of much interest for tourists.  

Moving towards the peak of Mount Parnassus lies the temple to Apollo, the Greek god of the sun, the amphitheater of Delphi, and Delphi Stadium. Though the temple of Apollo in Delphi has weathered over the years, with the last and most destructive event being an earthquake in 373 B.C., it is under considerable preservation efforts. The amphitheater sits just above the fallen temple, overlooking the valley of olive trees below. During the time of its construction in the fifth century B.C., the amphitheater boasted a capacity of five thousand spectators to observe musical and dramatic performances. Further along the sacred way leads to the Stadium of Delphi. The Stadium of Delphi is the uppermost site on the mountain and the setting where the Pythian Games beginning in 582 B.C. were hosted.   

The ancient-rooted, cozy village of Delphi is a comfortable place to stay for anyone planning to make pilgrimage up the sacred way and experience the thrill of standing on what the Greeks call “the center of the world”.