The Oracle at Delphi and Colonization
The Greeks were always careful to solicit approval from their gods before setting out
from home, whether for commercial voyages or colonization. The god most frequently
consulted about sending out a colony was
Apollo in his sanctuary at
Delphi1, a hauntingly beautiful spot in the
mountains of central Greece. The Delphic sanctuary began to be internationally renowned
in the eighth century B.C. because it housed an oracular shrine in which a prophetess,
the
Pythia2, spoke the will
of Apollo in response to questions from visiting petitioners. The Delphic oracle
operated for a limited number of days over nine months of the year, and demand for its
services was so high that the operators of the sanctuary rewarded generous contributors
with the privilege of jumping to the head of the line. The great majority of visitors to
Delphi consulted the oracle about personal matters such as marriage and having children.
That Greeks hoping to found a colony felt they had to secure the approval of Apollo of
Delphi demonstrates the oracle was held in high esteem already as early as the 700s
B.C., a reputation that continued to make the oracle a force in Greek international
affairs in the centuries to come.
