In addition to the oracle, Delphi is famous for its Pythian games. It is believed that they were established in 853 BC in honor of the end of the war Delphi with the city of Kirra, whose rulers decided to collect taxes from travelers for access to the oracle. According to another version, the Pythian games were proclaimed in honor of Apollo and his victory over the dragon.
Only Hellas citizens could take part in the games. Solemnly selected nine citizens of Delphy went to the cities of Greece, announced the beginning of the Pythian Games every eight years, and then every four years. The cities had to stop wars for the period of competition and prepare their best Pythians.
Games were held for eight days. First, in front of the temple of Apollo, a performance was played that demonstrated the victory of Apollo over the dragon Python and sacrifices were made on the altar of black marble. Directly in front of the temple was a theater for 5,000 spectators. Here there were competitions of poets', dancers and musicians. In this place and today amazing acoustics. Without any technique, the spoken word is amplified tens of times and echoes throughout the amphitheater.
Up the mountain is a stadium that can accommodate 6500 spectators. Here pentathletes competed, fist fights and chariot races were held. This is confirmed by numerous drawings on surviving amphora's and written evidence in the works of famous scientists of ancient Greece - Aristotle, Plutarch, Herodotus.
To win in the Pythian games was very honorable. It is interesting that the main award for athletes and artists was not money, but laurel wreaths.
The history of Pythian games continues to this day. Young people from 10 to 28 years compete on a professional level in different types of performing arts. A total of 48 nominations, including violin, piano, journalism, hairdressing... The goal of the games is to find and support talented young people around the world. Today, the games are called Delphic, and representatives of 26 countries take part in them. You can visit the site of the Delphic Games, where you can leave an application for participation.
The ancient city of Delphi is protected by UNESCO, it is an interesting open-air museum. Even if you do not like looking at the ruins, Delphi is worth a visit and enjoy the stunning views of the valley, the blue mountainsides and the blue stripe of the sea on the horizon.
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It's nice to walk to modern Delphi. Along the road grow old pines that protect you from the summer heat. In Delphi, you can find a cozy restaurant and relax in it before visiting the museum, which I'll talk about in the next post. I think that you are already tired of reading.
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The first part of the post is posted here.
My stories about traveling to Greece:
My picture of Apollo and the story of Greek mythology
How to buy your own "temple" in Greece
Flying monasteries of Greece
