The Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia
 

The History

   Archaeologically we know but little about the early beginnings of Delphi. Excavations have revealed the site was a Mycenaean village from 1500 to 1100 BCE, during which time the primary religious emphasis was on an oracular cult of the Earth Goddess. Around 1000 BCE the worship of Apollo became dominant when this new god was brought to the region by either Dorians from Crete or northern tribes from Thessaly. The oracular use of the site continued during Apollo's occupation and Delphi achieved Panhellenic fame as a major oracle shrine by the 7th century BCE.

   Located roughly one-half mile from the main concentration of buildings at Delphi, Athena Pronaia was the gateway to Delphi. The site, having been occupied since the Neolithic Period (5000-3000 BCE) and later by the Mycenaeans, may actually predate Delphi as a sacred place. Originally dedicated to the worship of an Earth Goddess, the shrine was eventually occupied by Olympian deities, Athena in particular. Athena's shrine stood near the entrance to Apollo's; hence the epithet 'of the fore-shrine', which is confirmed by inscriptions. Athena Pronaia, 'Athena before the Temple', was also called, by a sort of pun, Athena Pronoia, 'Athena of forethought.'

The Persian Invasion

   There are two distinct shrines at Delphi: the larger one to the northwest, dedicated to Apollo, and the smaller one consecrated to Atena Pronaia.

Map of Delphi's area, the Sanctuary of Pythian Apollo and the Shrine of Athena Pronaia. (Click the image for a full screen view)

   The shrine built to the southeast is dedicated to the Goddess Athena, whose duty it was to protect the sacred precinct of her half-broder Apollo. She performed her task well, for Herodotus recounts that it was here, in 480 BCE, that the Persians were stopped in their tracks by an earthquake on their way to pillage Delphi.

   The other division took guides, and proceeded towards the temple of Delphi, keeping Mount Parnassus on their right hand. They too laid waste such parts of Phocis as they passed through, burning the city of the Panopeans, together with those of the Daulians and of the Aeolidae. This body had been detached from the rest of the army, and made to march in this direction, for the purpose of plundering the Delphian temple and conveying to King Xerxes the riches which were there laid up. For Xerxes, as I am informed, was better acquainted with what there was worthy of note at Delphi, than even with what he had left in his own house; so many of those about him were continually describing the treasures - more especially the offerings made by Croesus the son of Alyattes.

   Now when the Delphians heard what danger they were in, great fear fell on them. In their terror they consulted the oracle concerning the holy treasures, and inquired if they should bury them in the ground, or carry them away to some other country. The god, in reply, bade them leave the treasures untouched - "He was able," he said, "without help to protect his own." So the Delphians, when they received this answer, began to think about saving themselves. And first of all they sent their women and children across the gulf into Achaea; after which the greater number of them climbed up into the tops of Parnassus, and placed their goods for safety in the Corycian cave; while some effected their escape to Amphissa in Locris. In this way all the Delphians quitted the city, except sixty men, and the Prophet.

   When the barbarian assailants drew near and were in sight of the place, the Prophet, who was named Aceratus, beheld, in front of the temple, a portion of the sacred armor, which it was not lawful for any mortal hand to touch, lying upon the ground, removed from the inner shrine where it was wont to hang. Then went he and told the prodigy to the Delphians who had remained behind. Meanwhile the enemy pressed forward briskly, and had reached the shrine of Athena Pronaia, when they were overtaken by other prodigies still more wonderful than the first. Truly it was marvel enough, when warlike harness was seen lying outside the temple, removed there by no power but its own; what followed, however, exceeded in strangeness all prodigies that had ever before been seen. The barbarians had just reached in their advance the chapel of Athena Pronaia, when a storm of thunder burst suddenly over their heads - at the same time two crags split off from Mount Parnassus, and rolled down upon them with a loud noise, crushing vast numbers beneath their weight - while from the temple of Athena there went up the war-cry and the shout of victory.

   All these things together struck terror into the barbarians, who forthwith turned and fled. The Delphians, seeing this, came down from their hiding-places, and smote them with a great slaughter, from which such as escaped fled straight into Boeotia. These men, on their return, declared (as I am told) that besides the marvels mentioned above, they witnessed also other supernatural sights. Two armed warriors, they said, of a stature more than human, pursued after their flying ranks, pressing them close and slaying them.

   These men, the Delphians maintain, were two Heroes belonging to the place - by name Phylacus and Autonous - each of whom has a sacred precinct near the temple; one, that of Phylacus, hard by the road which runs above the temple of Pronaia; the other, that of Autonous, near the Castalian spring, at the foot of the peak called Hyampeia. The blocks of stone which fell from Parnassus might still be seen in my day; they lay in the precinct of Pronaia, where they stopped, after rolling through the host of the barbarians. Thus was this body of men forced to retire from the temple.

The History of Herodotus
Book VIII
By Herodotus

The Terrace

   The terrace was created by retaining and peribolos walls; around the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. The main entrance to the sanctuary was on the north side toward the eastern end, where a small terrace above the main one held the sanctuary of the hero Phylacus. There were several smaller entrances to the main terrace in the walls. The terrace was enlarged several times.

The Shrine of Athena Pronaia from SW (reconstruction) (Click the image for a full screen view)

The Temenus of the Heroes

   Pausanias provides little information on the monuments in this part of the site, and identifying them has proved extremely difficult. Lower down there are the foundations of two smaller 6th century structures, probably dedicated to the local heroes Phylacus and Autonous, mentioned by Herodotus.

The Altars of Athena and Zeus

   On the south side of the temenus are altars which were found in the area, though not where they are now. From their 5th century inscriptions it is known that they were dedicated to Athena Ergane (patron of labor, arts, sciences, and the works of women), Athena Zosteria (girded for battle) and Zeus Polieus (protector of the city). On the supporting wall can be read the names Eilythyia (protector of women during childbirth) and Hygieia (healer).

Altars to Athena and Zeus (Click the image for a full screen view)

The Temple of Athena Pronaia

   Next comes the main temple, the Temple of Athena Pronaia, built from tuff in the Archaic period, toward the end of the 6th century BCE. It is a Doric peripteral temple, 6 x 12 columns, with 28.45 m x 14.25 m and column height: 4.6 m. Two of the columns are still standing. The cella is unusually opening south onto a pronaos distyle in antis.

The Temple of Athena Pronaia from SE (reconstruction) (Click the image for a full screen view)

   The falling rocks which halted the Persian advance on Delphi in 480 BCE, also heavily damaged this temple, which was further damaged in an earthquake of 373 BCE. The Newer Temple of Athena to the west replaced this one.

   The Temple of Athena Pronaia was in such good condition at the time of the French excavations that it was possible to re-create the peristyle (surrounding colonnade), but a landslide in 1905 (the rocks can still be seen amid the ruins) destroyed the work.

The Temple of Athena Pronaia from N (Click the image for a full screen view)

   This temple was preceded by another, smaller, temple that stood in the same place, serving the same purpose. Some of its Doric capitals survive, now sitting at the western end of the stylobate (the top step) on which the colonnade stood; their remarkable outlines, with very flat quarter-rounds, go back to the 7th century BCE, when they were the capitals of one of the very oldest stone temples known in the Greek world.

The Treasuries

   To the west of the main temple are the foundations of two marble treasuries. A treasury was usually a four-cornered structure with an opening guarded by two columns in antis. Cities built these treasuries at Delphi to house their offerings, rivaling each other to create the finest structures as symbols of their wealth and power; devotion and self-aggrandizement went hand in hand.

The two Treasuries from NE (Click the image for a full screen view)

   It is not known who built the first of these two treasuries, usually known as the Doric Treasury. It is of the Doric order and dates from the 5th century BCE, ca. 490 BCE - 460 BCE. The cella opening south onto a Doric pronaos distyle in antis.

   The second, standing to the west, usually known as the Treasury of the Massalians, is of the Aeolian order and dates from the 6th century BCE, ca. 530 BCE, with 6.39 m x 8.65 m. The column bases were Asiatic Ionic in type but had Doric-style fluting and the capitals were an adaptation of Egyptian palm capitals. Its capitals, carved with palms, are on show in the museum, next to the Naxian Sphinx. The fine carving of this treasury can still be seen in the fluted torus and the frieze of pearls in the remaining sections of the wall.

The Tholos

   The next monument is the Tholos (a generic name signifying a round stone chamber), a Late Classical circular building, built ca. 380 BCE - 360 BCE, with 14.76m exterior diameter and 13.5m height. It was probably designed by Theodorus of Phocaea and partly restored in 1938.

The Tholos reconstruction from S (Click the image for a full screen view)

   Its marble came from Attica. The order is Doric on the outside, with twenty columns. The original number of Corinthian half-columns inside is unknown (some say 10), despite the evidence of early reconstructions.

   The building is one of the architectural wonders of the world - an incredible feat of mathematics involving the precise calculation of ratios based on the golden number, represented by the blocks of the stylobate (the top step).

   The algebraic complexity of the structure is matched in detail and perfection by its decoration. The moldings are delicate; and the carving, both in bas-relief and in the round, is masterly. There were two magnificent friezes (bad damaged but partially restored): an exterior one and another around the top of the cella wall, each with forty metopes. The exterior frieze is of a battle between Amazons and centaurs. In the museum we can see parts of the frieze and many more small sculptures and statues from this building.

   It is the most beautiful and mysterious building in Delphi. There are no inscriptions, and nowhere in literature do we find any hint as to its origin or purpose.

The Newer Temple

   The Newer Temple, to the west of the Tholos, is a prostyle building, built in the Late Classical period, ca. 370 BCE - 360 BCE, with ca. 22m x 11m.

   The cella, with extended antae, opening southwest onto a pronaos with 6 prostyle columns. With two columns in the opening between the cella and the pronaos.

The Newer Temple section from SE (reconstruction) (Click the image for a full screen view)

   It was built to replace the earlier temple to the east within the same sanctuary. This location was safer, out of the path of falling rocks which had destroyed the earlier temple.

   This temple is contemporary with the Tholos, but completely different in material, form and style. Here there are neither sculptural decorations nor fine moldings, but the stonemasonry is extremely skillful.

   The rooms attached on the west side may have been priests' quarters.

Clickable Plan
 

Clickable Plan of Athena Pronaia Shrine (Click the image for a full screen view)

Delphi map 576 X 378 10 KB	Apollo NW 584 X 393 55 KB	Athena Apollo 529 X 393 50 KB
Omphalus 480 X 640 60 KB	Shrine plan 643 X 260 7 KB	Shrine NWa reconstruction 386 X 357 39 KB
Shrine NWb reconstruction 405 X 381 43 KB	Shrine SW reconstruction 872 X 377 127 KB	Altars 584 X 398 71 KB
Athena's Altar 584 X 393 41 KB	Pronaia SE reconstruction 600 X 400 64 KB	Pronaia N 480 X 428 62 KB
Pronaia E 584 X 394 67 KB	Pronaia E2 584 X 390 51 KB	Pronaia SW 584 X 392 59 KB

  Tourist Information:
 

   Delphi stands on the foothills of Mount Parnassus, above the Phaidriades Valley, in Greece.

   There are many ways to get to Delphi. There are several local buses a day to and from Athens. The trip takes about three hours. In the summer book early because space is scarce.

   Hotels are plentiful: Vouzas Hotel (cat. A), Parnassos Hotel (cat. C), Olympic Hotel (cat. B), Hermes Hotel (cat. B), Stadion Hotel (cat. C). There are two campgrounds within a few kilometers of the town and numerous restaurants.

   In Delphi, it's worth getting up early to beat the tourists who descend on the ancient 'center of the world' every day at around 1pm. Take water with you and check out the site before the museum - it's nice to get out of the heat after you've trudged up the hill.

  Other Views:

Aerial view of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia

Overall view of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia from above and NW

Boulders in the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia from the earthquake slide of 480 BCE

Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia from E

Temple of Athena Pronaia from N

Clickable Plan the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia

Doric Treasury distant overall view

  Links:
 

Timeline: Greek period.

Perseus Project: Sanctuary Athena Pronaia Terrace, Temple of Athena Pronaia, Doric Treasury, Treasury of the Massalians, Tholos, Newer Temple of Athena

Hellenic Ministry of Culture: Delphi, Archaeological Museum of Delphi