φασὶ δʼ εἶναι τὸ μαντεῖον ἄντρον κοῖλον κατὰ βάθους οὐ μάλα εὐρύστομον, ἀναφέρεσθαι δʼ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα ἐνθουσιαστικόν, ὑπερκεῖσθαι δὲ τοῦ στομίου τρίποδα ὑψηλόν, ἐφʼ ὃν τὴν Πυθίαν ἀναβαίνουσαν δεχομένην τὸ πνεῦμα ἀποθεσπίζειν ἔμμετρά τε καὶ ἄμετρα· ἐντείνειν δὲ καὶ ταῦτα εἰς μέτρον ποιητάς τινας ὑπουργοῦντας τῷ ἱερῷ. πρώτην δὲ Φημονόην γενέσθαι φασὶ Πυθίαν, κεκλῆσθαι δὲ καὶ τὴν προφῆτιν οὕτω καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ πυθέσθαι, ἐκτετάσθαι δὲ τὴν πρώτην συλλαβήν, ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀθανάτου καὶ ἀκαμάτου καὶ διακόνου.
The place where the oracle is delivered, is said to be a deep hollow cavern, the entrance to which is not very wide. From it rises up an exhalation which inspires a divine frenzy: over the mouth is placed a lofty tripod on which the Pythian priestess ascends to receive the exhalation, after which she gives the prophetic response in verse or prose. The prose is adapted to measure by poets who are in the service of the temple. Phemonoë is said to have been the first Pythian prophetess, and both the prophetess and the city obtained their appellation from the word Pythesthai, to inquire, (πυθέσθαι). The first syllable was lengthened, as in the words ἀθάνατος ἀκάματος διάκονος.
[The establishment of cities, and the honour paid to common temples, are due to the same feelings and causes. Men were collected together into cities and nations, from a natural disposition to society, and for the purpose of mutual assistance. Hence common temples were resorted to, festivals celebrated, and meetings held of the general body of the people. For friendship commences from and is promoted by attending the same feasts, uniting in the same worship, and dwelling under the same roof. The advantages derived from these meetings were naturally estimated from the number of persons who attended them, as also from the number of places from whence they came.]
ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖον τιμὴ τῷ ἱερῷ τούτῳ διὰ τὸ χρηστήριον συνέβη δόξαντι ἀψευδεστάτῳ τῶν πάντων ὑπάρξαι, προσέλαβε δέ τι καὶ ἡ θέσις τοῦ τόπου. τῆς γὰρ Ἑλλάδος ἐν μέσῳ πώς ἐστι τῆς συμπάσης, τῆς τε ἐντὸς Ἰσθμοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐκτός, ἐνομίσθη δὲ καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης, καὶ ἐκάλεσαν τῆς γῆς ὀμφαλόν, προσπλάσαντες καὶ μῦθον ὅν φησι Πίνδαρος, ὅτι συμπέσοιεν ἐνταῦθα οἱ ἀετοὶ οἱ ἀφεθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ Διός, ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς δύσεως ὁ δʼ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀνατολῆς· οἱ δὲ κόρακάς φασι. δείκνυται δὲ καὶ ὀμφαλός τις ἐν τῷ ναῷ τεταινιωμένος καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ αἱ δύο εἰκόνες τοῦ μύθου.
Although the highest honour was paid to this temple on account of the oracle, (for it was the most exempt of any from deception,) yet its reputation was owing in part to its situation in the centre of all Greece, both within and without the isthmus. It was also supposed to be the centre of the habitable earth, and was called the Navel of the earth. A fable, referred to by Pindar, was invented, according to which two eagles, (or, as others say, two crows,) set free by Jupiter, one from the east, the other from the west, alighted together at Delphi. In the temple is seen a sort of navel wrapped in bands, and surmounted by figures representing the birds of the fable.
τοιαύτης δὲ τῆς εὐκαιρίας οὔσης τῆς περὶ τοὺς Δελφούς, συνῄεσάν τε ῥᾳδίως ἐκεῖσε, μάλιστα δʼ οἱ ἐγγύθεν, καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ Ἀμφικτυονικὸν σύστημα ἐκ τούτων συνετάχθη περί τε τῶν κοινῶν βουλευσόμενον καὶ τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἕξον κοινοτέραν, ἅτε καὶ χρημάτων ἀποκειμένων πολλῶν καὶ ἀναθημάτων φυλακῆς καὶ ἁγιστείας δεομένων μεγάλης. τὰ πάλαι μὲν οὖν ἀγνοεῖται, Ἀκρίσιος δὲ τῶν μνημονευομένων πρῶτος διατάξαι δοκεῖ τὰ περὶ τοὺς Ἀμφικτύονας καὶ πόλεις ἀφορίσαι τὰς μετεχούσας τοῦ συνεδρίου καὶ ψῆφον ἑκάστῃ δοῦναι, τῇ μὲν καθʼ αὑτὴν τῇ δὲ μεθʼ ἑτέρας ἢ μετὰ πλειόνων, ἀποδεῖξαι δὲ καὶ τὰς Ἀμφικτυονικὰς δίκας ὅσαι πόλεσι πρὸς πόλεις εἰσίν· ὕστερον δʼ ἄλλαι πλείους διατάξεις γεγόνασιν, ἕως κατελύθη καὶ τοῦτο τὸ σύνταγμα, καθάπερ τὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν. αἱ μὲν οὖν πρῶται δυοκαίδεκα συνελθεῖν λέγονται πόλεις· ἑκάστη δʼ ἔπεμπε Πυλαγόραν, δὶς κατʼ ἔτος οὔσης τῆς συνόδου ἔαρός τε καὶ μετοπώρου· ὕστερον δὲ καὶ πλείους προσῆλθον πόλεις. τὴν δὲ σύνοδον Πυλαίαν ἐκάλουν τὴν μὲν ἐαρινὴν τὴν δὲ μετοπωρινήν, ἐπειδὴ ἐν Πύλαις συνήγοντο, ἃς καὶ Θερμοπύλας καλοῦσιν· ἔθυον δὲ τῇ Δήμητρι οἱ πυλαγόροι. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῖς ἐγγὺς μετῆν καὶ τούτων καὶ τοῦ μαντείου, ὕστερον δὲ καὶ οἱ πόρρωθεν ἀφικνοῦντο καὶ ἐχρῶντο τῷ μαντείῳ καὶ ἔπεμπον δῶρα καὶ θησαυροὺς κατεσκεύαζον, καθάπερ Κροῖσος καὶ ὁ πατὴρ Ἀλυάττης καὶ Ἰταλιωτῶν τινες καὶ Σικελοί.
As the situation of Delphi is convenient, persons easily assembled there, particularly those from the neighbourhood, of whom the Amphictyonic body is composed. It is the business of this body to deliberate on public affairs, and to it is more particularly intrusted the guardianship of the temple for the common good; for large sums of money were deposited there, and votive offerings, which required great vigilance and religious care. The early history of this body is unknown, but among the names which are recorded, Acrisius appears to have been the first who regulated its constitution, to have determined what cities were to have votes in the council, and to have assigned the number of votes and mode of voting. To some cities he gave a single vote each, or a vote to two cities, or to several cities conjointly. He also defined the class of questions which might arise between the different cities, which were to be submitted to the decision of the Amphictyonic tribunal; and subsequently many other regulations were made, but this body, like that of the Achaeans, was finally dissolved.
At first twelve cities are said to have assembled, each of which sent a Pylagoras. The convention was held twice a year, in spring and autumn. But latterly a greater number of cities assembled. They called both the vernal and the autumnal convention Pylaean, because it was held at Pyle, which has the name also of Thermopylae. The Pylagorae sacrificed to Ceres.
In the beginning, the persons in the neighbourhood only assembled, or consulted the oracle, but afterwards people repaired thither from a distance for this purpose, sent gifts, and constructed treasuries, as Croesus, and his father Alyattes, some of the Italians also, and the Siceli (Sicilians).
ἐπίφθονος δʼ ὢν ὁ πλοῦτος δυσφύλακτός ἐστι κἂν ἱερὸς ᾖ. νυνί γέ τοι πενέστατόν ἐστι τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ἱερὸν χρημάτων γε χάριν, τῶν δʼ ἀναθημάτων τὰ μὲν ἦρται τὰ δὲ πλείω μένει. πρότερον δὲ πολυχρήματον ἦν τὸ ἱερόν, καθάπερ Ὅμηρός τε εἴρηκεν οὐδʼ ὅσα λάινος οὐδὸς ἀφήτορος ἐντὸς ἐέργει Φοίβου Ἀπόλλωνος Πυθοῖ ἐνὶ πετρηέσσῃ, καὶ οἱ θησαυροὶ δηλοῦσι καὶ ἡ σύλησις ἡ γενηθεῖσα ὑπὸ τῶν Φωκέων, ἐξ ἧς ὁ Φωκικὸς καὶ ἱερὸς καλούμενος ἐξήφθη πόλεμος. αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἡ σύλησις γεγένηται κατὰ Φίλιππον τὸν Ἀμύντου· προτέραν δʼ ἄλλην ὑπονοοῦσιν ἀρχαίαν, ἣ τὸν ὑφʼ Ὁμήρου λεγόμενον πλοῦτον ἐξεφόρησεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἴχνος αὐτοῦ σωθῆναι πρὸς τοὺς ὕστερον χρόνους ἐν οἷς οἱ περὶ Ὀνόμαρχον καὶ Φάυλλον ἐσύλησαν τὸ ἱερόν, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν […] ἀπενεχθέντα νεώτερα ἐκείνων εἶναι τῶν χρημάτων· ἀποκεῖσθαι γὰρ ἐν θησαυροῖς, ἀπὸ λαφύρων ἀνατεθέντα, ἐπιγραφὰς σώζοντα ἐν αἷς καὶ οἱ ἀναθέντες· Γύγου γὰρ καὶ Κροίσου καὶ Συβαριτῶν καὶ Σπινητῶν τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀδρίαν, καὶ οὕτως ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων. οὔτ […] ήκοι τὰ παλαιὰ χρήματα ἀναμεμῖχθαι· καὶ ἄλλοι τόποι διασημαίνουσιν ὑπὸ τούτων σκευωρηθέντες τῶν ἀνδρῶν. ἔνιοι δὲ τὸν ἀφήτορα δεξάμενοι λέγεσθαι θησαυρόν, ἀφήτορος δʼ οὐδὸν κατὰ γῆς θησαυρισμόν, ἐν τῷ ναῷ κατορωρύχθαι φασὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ἐκεῖνον, καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ὀνόμαρχον ἐπιχειρήσαντας ἀνασκάπτειν νύκτωρ σεισμῶν γενομένων μεγάλων ἔξω τοῦ ναοῦ φυγεῖν καὶ παύσασθαι τῆς ἀνασκαφῆς, ἐμβαλεῖν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις φόβον τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιχειρήσεως.
But the wealth, being an object of cupidity, was guarded with difficulty, although dedicated to sacred uses. At present, however, whatever it might have been, the temple at Delphi is exceedingly poor. Some of the offerings have been taken away for the sake of the money, but the greater part remain there. It is true that the temple was once very opulent, as Homer testifies; Nor all the wealth, which the marble threshold of Phoebus Apollo, the Archer, (Aphetor,) contains in the rocky Pytho. The treasuries indicate its riches, and the plunder committed by the Phocians, which gave rise to the Phocic or Sacred war, as it was called. It is however supposed that a spoliation of the temple must have taken place at some more remote period, when the wealth mentioned by Homer disappeared; for no vestige of it whatever was preserved to later times, when Onomarchus and Phayllus pillaged the temple, as the property [then] removed was of a more recent date than that referred to by the poet. For there were once deposited in the treasuries, offerings from spoils, bearing inscriptions with the names of the donors, as of Gyges, of Croesus, of the Sybaritae, of the Spinetae on the Adriatic, and of others also. It would be unbecoming to suppose that modern and ancient treasures were confounded together: other places pillaged by these people confirm this view.
Some persons, however, understanding the word Aphetor to signify treasure, and the threshold of the aphetor the repository of the treasure under-ground, say, that this wealth was buried beneath the temple, and that Onomarchus and his companions attempted to dig it up by night; violent shocks of an earthquake caused them to fly out of the temple, and desist from their excavation; thus others were impressed with a dread of making similar attempts.
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