Oracle of Delphi facts for kids
The Oracle of Delphi was a very important place in Ancient Greece. It was dedicated to the god Apollo. Only one priestess worked there at a time, and she was called the Pythia. When a woman became the Pythia, she gave up her own name.
The Temple of Apollo was located in Delphi, on the side of Mount Parnassus in Greece. People believed that the god Apollo would answer questions through his priestess. She was known for giving predictions that were a bit unclear. Today, some experts think that gases from the ground might have caused her strange sayings.
The Oracle's Advice to King Croesus
Around 560 BC, a powerful ruler named Croesus, who was the King of Lydia, asked the Delphic Oracle for advice. He wanted to know if he should go to war against the Persians. The Oracle told him that if he attacked the Persians, he would destroy a mighty empire. The Oracle also advised him to find the strongest Greek groups and become their friend.
Croesus paid a lot of money to the people of Delphi. Then he sent another question to the Oracle: "Will my rule last a long time?" The Pythia answered:
Croesus thought it was impossible for a mule to be king of the Medes. So, he believed that he and his family would rule forever. Because of this, he decided to team up with some Greek city-states and attack Persia.
However, it was Croesus, not the Persians, who was defeated. This showed that the prophecy was true, but Croesus had misunderstood it. He forgot that Cyrus, the person who won the war, was half Mede (from his mother) and half Persian (from his father). So, Cyrus could be seen as a "mule" because he was a mix of two different groups.
Images for kids
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The omphalos stone in the museum at Delphi. It was believed to be the "belly button" or center of the world.
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View of Delphi with Sacrificial Procession by Claude Lorrain. This painting shows how Delphi might have looked.
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A modern photo of the ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
