Secret of Delphi Found in Ancient Text
Researchers
at the University of Leicester have unravelled a 2,700 year old mystery
concerning The Oracle of Delphi – by consulting an ancient farmer’s
manual.
The researchers from the School of Archaeology
and Ancient History sought to explain how people from across Greece
came to consult with the Oracle – a hotline to the god Apollo- on a
particular day of the year even though there was no common calendar.
Now their findings, published in this month’s edition of the journal
Antiquity, suggests celestial signs observed by farmers could also have
determined the rituals associated with Apollo Delphinios. Postgraduate
student Alun Salt said:
"The manual, Works and Days by Hesiod, dating to the eight century
BC, describes the right time to plant crops or harvest by observing a
variety of signs. One particular event he frequently looked for was the
heliacal rising of a star, its first appearance that year in the
morning sky."
"I was playing around with a planisphere while suffering from
insomnia. This is when I noticed that the constellation Delphinus would
have been rising in the eastern sky in late December and early January.
This is the same time that some cities were sacrificing to Apollo
Delphinios."
"I wondered if ritual events could use the same system described by
Hesiod. The problem was that January wasn’t the time Apollo Delphinios
was questioned at Delphi. Delphi was a month late compared to other
cities. I knew the cliffs at Delphi would delay the rising of Delphinus
there, but I didn’t know by how much."
Efrosyni Boutsikas, a fellow postgraduate at Leicester, had surveyed Delphi as part of her PhD and had the figures. She said:
"The temple of Apollo at Delphi is overlooked by huge cliffs to the
east. These block out the view of the lower part of the eastern sky.
The horizon is so high the stars have to climb a long way before they
are visible just before sunrise."
"This means that if you’re holding an early morning ritual like
preparing to consult Apollo, and you want to see a constellation, you
have to wait around a month after other cities with flat horizons."
Alun Salt concluded; “The great advantage that constellation
spotting has over waiting for the sun to rise over a stone is that this
system is portable. It could be used by Greeks across the Mediterranean
who wanted to know when to visit Delphi without having to rely on
knowing what the local date was in Delphi’s calendar. It also explains
why Delphi’s calendar is slightly out of step with calendars in places
like Athens.”
Does this make Delphi a Greek Stonehenge? Could this event still be seen by visitors today? Alun Salt is doubtful:
“The event still happens, about a month later these days because of the
way the Earth’s movement in the heavens has changed since ancient
times. The big problem is light pollution. The stars of Delphinus are
quite faint. You won’t see them from Athens, and I don’t know if the
sky around Delphi is dark enough to make them out. It’s a challenge for
anyone at Delphi around the start of February.
UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER