Described as a young and beautiful maiden, the ancient Greek Oracle of Delphi – named Pythia (derived from Pytho: which was the original name of Delphi) – was widely credited for her prophecies uttered under ‘divine possession’ as early as c. 580 – 570 BCE.
However, after Echecrates of Thessaly (a Thessalian military officer of Ptolemy Philopator in the Fourth Syrian War in 219 BC) kidnapped and violated a young Pythia in the 3rd century BCE, things changed. The Oracle of Delphi would now be an older woman (over the age of 50), though still dressed in youthful regalia. It remained as such until the entire cult was phased out in the late 4th century CE.
Descending into the basement of the Temple of Delphi once a month, the Pythia would sit upon a tall, gilded tripod above an opening in the temple floor. Induced by vapours rising from this chasm, the oracle spoke her prophecies which were sometimes noted to be incoherent and thus interpreted by priests.
But what were these mysterious vapours which allowed the oracle to commune with the gods? Modern archaeological and geological research in the vicinity of the shrine have revealed two faults which intersect directly below the Delphic temple. Enriched with hydrocarbon deposits, the bedrock which the Temple of Delphi was built upon could have released hallucinogenic gases into the temple’s basement. Evidence of this can be found rising from a nearby spring that still releases these kinds of fumes. The Pythia would thus inhale ethylene which triggered a reaction that onlookers would have interpreted as the Pythia being possessed by the gods. The combination of all these elements, the temple basement, the social and cultural expectations, and the Oracle’s involuntary reactions to the vapours would have helped to create the illusion that the gods were truly sending messages to the mortals.
No need to fear though! Today, the water that helped transport the gases to the Delphic temple is now contained, syphoned, and far removed from the hydrocarbon deposits. The water is now used to supply the modern town of Delphi and the population has yet to create a new oracle!
Text: Megan Kumorek. MENAM Archaeology. Copyright 2023.
Image 1 : Attic red-figure kylix from Vulci (Italy), 440-430 BC. Kodros Painter. Oracle of Delphi: King Aigeus in front of the Pythia. Antikensammlung Berlin, Altes Museum, F 2538. Image by Zde. Wikimedia Commons
Image 2: “The Priestess of Delphi” by John Collier 1891. Wikimedia Commons.
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