The Museum of Delphi
Welcome to Delphi Museum, one of the top must-see museums in Greece, mainly because of the quality of artefacts; Artefacts that have been found during excavations at the Delphi oracle and its vicinity.My name is Anna, and I am going to be your guide for this tour. I’m an expert on Greek history and a licensed tour guide for over than 25 years. ‘Till the end of this visit, I will truly have got you impressed by the big history and the important meaning of the Delphi Museum.How to Use this audio guideAs you can see from the display window on your audio player, each of the stops on this tour has its own title. You can skip ahead or tailor your itinerary to your own tastes. But navigating on your own can be confusing, and it’s easiest to just follow the tour in the order I ‘ve laid out.Now let’s visit The Museum of Delphi.As you can see from the display window on your audio player, each of the stops on this tour has its own title. You can skip ahead or tailor your itinerary to your own tastes. But navigating on your own can be confusing, and it’s easiest to just follow the tour in the order I ‘ve laid out.Now let’s visit The Museum of Delphi.
Introduction
It was in 1903 when under the project of the French architect Albert Tourneire and the financial support of the Greek benefactor Andreas Singros started the construction of the two sidal buildings. In 1935, the museum gets reconstructed, but bigger this time while last reconstruction was in 1999 before the Olympic games of Athens in 2004.In the beginning, the building was reminding a train station. Now looks modern, covered with big rectangular blocks. Few steps are leading at the ticket control, while there is an elevator straight ahead and under the portico of the ground floor for the handicapped people. The view from the museum is breath taking towards the sea of the olive trees and the two (2) rocky hills that dominate the area, the Faidriades.So let us enter to admire and find the most important, original exhibits that have been found in the sanctuary of God Apollo.
Stop 1 - Sanctuary of God Apollo Drawing
Passing the ticket control on our right-hand side and as we scan our ticket, we are entering in the first room of the museum that happens to be connected with the lobby. Our gaze gets captivated by a full-size drawing, showing to us how the sanctuary of God Apollo was looking like at its peak.
Stop 2 - Figurines of Clay
Walking in the 1st room on our left hand-side, inside the window glasses are exhibiting figurines of clay that are dating 3.500 years ago. These figurines of clay are representing the goddess of fertility Gaia. They are small, yellowish with red or brown stripes, with their hands to be open like the trident or the Greek letter Ps (Ψ), while other times are round shape like the Greek letter fi (Φ). Interesting is that the breast area is tonalized as symbolizes fertility while the face has no features. The ceramists used to paint the figurines with the same quality clay.
Stop 3 - Tripods
What follows is a tripod made of bronze, that dates in the 8th century B.C., that is 2.800 years ago.Tripods usually were vases of clay small that they were getting used in everyday life as kitchen pots. Much later the tripods became precious, athletic rewards made of bronze; they could be dedications to the sanctuaries.For Delphi the tripod as idea was connected with the prophecy. Pythia the great priestess of Apollo is believed to be seated on a tripod similar to what we are looking at. Maybe she was holding herself from the circular handles as she was dropping in ecstasy.The tripod we see was a dedication that has been oxidized but has been also restored.
Stop 4 - A Map of Greece
Leaving the first room we do see on the wall next to the door and on the right hand-side a map of Greece and important places and sanctuaries of the 8th century B.C., plus colonies around the Mediterranean Sea. With this map we understand the influence in the artistic level also by other parts of the world, but also the connection of all those places with the sanctuary of Apollo.
Stop 5 - The Statue of Sphinx
Passing from the second room, we turn to the right, and we enter in the third room of the museum. A huge statue of a Sphinx made of marble is standing on an ionic marble column with its capitol.A Sphinx was a statue with the head of a woman, the body of a lioness and the wings of a griffin. Pure influence from Egypt, the statue of a Sphinx was representing power and could be an offering in a sanctuary or could stand above a grave. The Sphinx of the Sanctuary of Apollo was a dedication of the Naxians, islanders from the beautiful Naxos Island in the Aegean Sea. The height of the Sphinx with its column is at least 12,50 meters (almost 4 feet) and the age touches the 2.600 years.Our gaze gets attracted on the features of the face of the Sphinx. Wide open eyes, broken nose that would be straight and a big smile, the famous archaic smile, long hair like stripes, slender but stable body. The statue looks static, rigid without any particular movement. This was the art of the 6th century B.C. while the smile carved on the face represents the prosperity of the ancient Greek world during that time.This was the time of aristocracy, where the aristocrats were the big landowners. We do know on the mountain of Thebes, a Sphinx was put on the famous riddle to the travellers. Oedipus, the man with the sorted legs – the future king of Thebes, was the one who solved it.The Naxian Sphinx of the sanctuary is an original statue, except the white plaster we see on its body; we do know that the Sphinx of Delphi was standing in front of the polygonal wall of the sanctuary and behind the rock of Sibylla.
Stop 6 - The “Kore”
As we are looking at the Sphinx, slightly to the right there is a beautiful, female statue of marble. It looks like a column. Actually, her body is a column, but wearing the chiton full of folds, it creates the impression of a complete body. With the same archaic smile on her face like the smile of the Sphinx, but gentler, the female statue column was representing a “Kore”.“Kore” means daughter and always the term was representing maiden girls. The statue-column was part of a small, like jewel building, a “treasury”. This treasury was dedication from the island of Sifnos, which was rich in gold and silver during that time. In a clever way, the Sifnians used two statues, instead of columns to support part of the roof of the building and to decorate it as well.The statue-column that we see of the treasury is the forerunner of the great six statues known as Karyatides that had been carved a hundred year later to decorate the important temple of the Acropolis, the so called “Erechtheion”.The statue columns of the treasury of Sifnians that we see was very ornated. The little holes we see around her forehead used to bring metallic decoration. We keep in mind that nothing was white in ancient Greek. Everything was painted and many times the statues or the wall of the building could be decorated with metallic ornaments.
Stop 7 - The Frieze
On the wall, next to the daughter, there is a depicted representation of the little building.Before we leave the room, we give a look on the frieze of the same building which is exhibited across the statue column and the Sphinx.The frieze is like a belt and was surrounding on the external part the little building made of marble and painted with mineral colours. The decoration of the frieze was representing the war of Troy (this was on the east side), the famous Gigantomachy (on the north), the judgment of Paris for the prettiest Goddess (on the west) and finally the kidnapping of women (on the south side).Details of the frieze are the way of the warriors were holding the shields, the symbol emblem of the medusa’s head in one of the shields in order to create fear to the enemies, the structure of the body of the giants and the decoration of their helmet.To all this we observe three (3) dimensions and the lines of a great, full of details art, while we understand that probably different sculptors collaborated for the carvings of the frieze.
Stop 8 - Kouroi
As we turn to the right, straight ahead in front of us, two (2) identical marble statues about 2m (6 feet high, are occupying the space. The Yia, the famous kouroi of 600 years old, representing young men with their names Cleobis and Bitone, brothers from a city from the south part of Greece (Argos of Peloponnese). The story says that the young brothers were famers, wealthy and athletic. One day they had to run and cover a very long distance of 8 stadiums, carrying the chariot with their mother inside. Their mother was priestess in the sanctuary of Hera, and she was running out of time for a celebration.The results was that she was on time and as they sacrificed to the goddess to show their respect, the two brothers died next to the temple. Like this, though they gained immortality. Immortality means in this case that after thousands of years we know what they did, which was so thoughtful, we know their identity as we know their names and through this they live forever.Apart their fame, the statues look very Egyptian. There is a detail that makes a difference and that is the step. The Greeks opened more the step of the statues, creating like this a balance of their bodies and releasing them. The left foot in front is in balance with the right shoulder and the other way around. So it is like the ruler of their body to be the letter – X – and this is what it is balancing them and releases the body.The two great statues from the city-state of Argos were dedications and have been found under the ground close to the treasury of the Athenians. They are originals except certain parts of their bodies that had been reconstructed and we can identify them due to the different colour of the material.
Stop 9 - Gold and Ivory Statues
To the right is visible an opened door and another small room where they exhibit gold and ivory remainings.The museum of Delphi is the only museum of the country that preserves gold and ivory items.We see in the glass three (3) faces, black grey with a light smile except the last one that is destroyed so their features are not visible at all. It is believed to present Apollo, and Artemis (Diana as it is the Latin name), the twins and their mother Leto. What was exposed on a golden ivory statue was made of ivory like the the hands, the head and the feet. What was covered was wooden skeleton covered with gold both materials, ivory and gold imported. Apollo had golden stripes for hair, metallic eyebrows, that are missing, maybe semi-precious stones for eyes, white his garment was also decorated with golden roses.The goddess Artemis has exquisite jewels, like her crown, earrings. Slender and fine details on her toes make us understand the reason of why they were using the ivory. It was such a delicate material where they could carve details they wanted.Most of the gold and ivory statues had been destroyed, like the gold and ivory statue of Zeus in Olympia which was one of the seven wonders, or the gold and ivory statue of Athena inside Parthenon.The gold and ivory statues that we see in the museum of Delphi have been found by accident and in 1939 close to the portico of the Athenians and under the sacred part had been restored before being exhibited. It is known that a fire destroyed them in the ancient time that’s why ivory turned black, otherwise has a light pale colour. The restored part is by wax while the rough grey parts that we see are the original burned ones.
Stop 10 - Small Ivory Miniatures
In the next glass window, we can see small ivory miniatures, masterpieces of the 6th century B.C. Probably they had been used to decorate furniture of jewel boxes.Focus your gaze on number four (4), a miniature of a horse. The details of the head and part of the body, show to us the high-levelled art during that time in the Greek workshops of Asia Minor.
Stop 11 - Silver Bull
Before we leave the room in the central wall behind the glass, a silver bull is exhibited.Precious dedication of the 6th century B.C. his original length should be two meters (6feet almost) while the skeleton was made of wood and smooth material, maybe wax, clay or plaster. It was covered with sixty (60) leaves of silver while the details on the face were made of gold. What we are looking now is not the original length of the silver bull, while it took the archaeologists ten (10) years to restore with the original pieces of silver the bull that we see in front of us. at least to find out which piece. And the result speaks by itself.As we leave from the room, we can imagine how rich and glorious was the sanctuary of God Apollo with masterpieces and high-levelled art. An art that the Romans took away during the time of the emperor Nero and also during the time of Constantine the Great. Due to the mentally of the ancient Greeks to bury the destroyed dedications and not to throw them away, nowadays we can admire this magnificent art.
Stop 12 - The Statue of Dionysus
Passing again from the room of the “Kouroi” Cleobis and Bitone, and on our way to their rare exhibits which is from the Treasury of the Athenians, we observe the destroyed statues from the previous temple of the sanctuary. There is though on our right-hand side a very pretty statue that represents the God of wine – Dionysus or Bochus, the God who was worshipped three 3 months in the winter time in the same temple of the sanctuary.
Stop 13 - The Musical Piece
As we enter in the room that refers to the treasury of the Athenians, our gaze gets attracted to a photo. On the wall, we see how the treasury of Athenians should look like in front of the building had been dedicated weapons, trophies from the first fighting between Athenians and Persians. Under the photo, there are two (2) broken, original thought pieces of wall with inscriptions. As a matter of fact, these are songs, composed 2.300 years ago by 2 professional Athenian musicians: Athineos and Levenios – this is a rare and interesting exhibit because for first time we do have a composed music on a building. Above the syllables there are musical notes.It has been discovered in the 1893, it has been re-composed a year later for the international athletic congress in Paris which was the preheader of the first modern Olympic Games that took place in Athens in 1896.Two (2) songs honouring God Apollo, Delphi, Mountain Parnassus, but also recalling the muses’ followers of Apollo who are singing for the God on the mountain Parnassus.
Stop 14 - The “Kylix”
On our left-hand side into the glass a marvellous cup “kylix” the official name and it is 2.500 years old.It is made of clay; the external part is black but the internal has preserved a rare painting. God Apollo, with his slender delicate features is sitting on a stool that its legs are ending on the paws of a lion. Above his garment he wears a chiton, a wreath of laurel, around his head. Apollo is making a ritual with red wine and his other hand is holding a Lyra.The lines of the drawing are so precise in the complete circle where they create depth in the scene. Into these limits, there is a black dove or a craw. According to the myth, Apollo curses the bird to be black from white when the raven brought a hint bad news about a maiden girl who was in love and her name was Koronis. The cup had been found to where we are standing to where is the museum and under our feet in one of the graves, probably a cup was buried with a high priest.
Stop 15 - Metopes
We over pass the room which is to the left and exhibits the broken original metopes (decoration) from the Treasury of the Athenians. They refer to the labours of Theseus, the mythical call king of Athens who liberated the Athenians from the labyrinth, the Minotaur the creature that had the head of the bull and the body of a human being. The rest of the metopes are representing the labels of another great hero, God Hercules.
Stop 16 - The Slender Figurine
Turning to the right we are passing from the room where decorations from the treasuries of the sanctuary are exhibited. In the centre of the room behind the glass, are standing separately three (3) small masterpieces of bronze.The first is a female slender figurine, holding on her fine hands and above her head a round shape pot where apparently, they were placing the incense. We observe the serious face, the harmony on the way she is bending on her leg.
Stop 17 - The Musician
Behind her there is another masterpiece of bronze representing a musician playing the 2-pipe flute. Maybe a dedication of a winner of a music competition in the sanctuary. It is interesting to observe the little head as we can distinguish on his cheeks two stripes where they are keeping the 2-pipe flute. We do know that the musicians who were playing this musical instrument they were wearing these leather stripes and they could hold in a stable way the flutes close to their mouths.
Stop 18 - An Athlete of Pentathlon
Next to the figurine of the musician made of bronze, there are two (2) figurines representing athletes made of solid bronze.We do see their exercised bodies and we focus our gaze to the one and we can understand in what game he was participating. We do see that he is holding a stone so we understand that he was participating; he was an athlete of Pentathlon; one of the Games of Pentathlon was the long jump. Usually to do the long jump, the athletes were holding two stones. As they were running and before doing the jumping, they had to release these two (2) stones behind them so to have the speed or the boost and do the jumping. The hand they lifted hand of the small statue made of bronze. We see that he is holding like a broken wreath that means that he was a winner while the next figure is raising his hand as if he is greeting him.
Stop 19 - Decoration Pieces of Tholos
The room that follows is the one that shows to us beautiful, of small size figurines made of marble from the decorations of the round-shape building known as “Tholos”, that means dome. From the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, providence full of grace the body forms with their muscle details and proportions make us understand the high-quality level art. Their subject was referring to a mythical fighting between female warriors known as Amazons and Greek heroes’ fighters. The Metopes that we see have been destroyed in the early Christian times.
Stop 20 - The High Pillar
In the room that follows, we get attracted by a high pillar looking like a stem of a flower. It is a column of marble looks like acanthus leaves and on the top are studying three (3) beautiful female statues, representing maiden girls and probably were representing the mythical daughters of the Athenian king Kekrops.The daughters were the legs of a bronze tripod where probably inside was situated the marble Omphalos that we see next to this pillar.The Omphalos stone that we see is a roman copy and is decorated with a net of egg-flowers.We do not forget that Delphi had been considered as the navel of the world and according to the myth, the father of Gods and Humans, Zeus or Jupiter as it is the Latin name, to show to the people the centre of the world, when he released two (2) eagles, one from the East and the other from the West part of the world. The point where the 2 birds met was Delphi.The beautiful daughters metaphorically have been called “dancers”. They are creating the impression that they were dancing as they unveil with all these folds those left and right so creates the illusion that they are moving. High level technique art classical art means that the dress looks so transparent as if it sticks to the body. And we can see all their details.
Stop 21 - Agias
Next to the daughters, there is a complex of statues, but we focus our gaze to a naked perfect male statue was part of a family complex, dedication to a great family of generals, politicians, and athletes from central Greece.His name is Agias; He was an athlete he won more than three times, so he had the right to erect himself. We are observing his serious look, the deep gaze the way he is turning slightly his face, the shoulders that are bending, the whole balance on one foot. And that’s how with the other one can balance also his weight. We can see the muscles and bones on their exercising body that are looking so natural. This harmony from the head to the feet and we can understand the high-quality art if we could remove his head and we could see that fits his body 7 times. This was a proportion that they were followingInteresting information is that the sculptor of Agias originally was the great sculptor Lyssipos, the one who had the right the only one to make the portrait of Alexander the Great.Apparently, the statue of Agias that we have in front of us is an exact copy of the prototype statue and we can understand the mentality that had been developed in the classical time was to exercise the body equally to the mind. With this way the people could be perfect mentally and physically. And if they were perfect, also their societies could be perfect too. That’s why they were not feeling embarrassed if their bodies were naked art.
Stop 22 - The Statue of the "Philosopher"
Before we leave from the room, we give a last look on a photo across the complex of statues.We see how the French archaeologists were discovering the statues and excavating the area and we can understand that we discover the statue that is called Philosopher or old man and is 2,300 years old. We see that the statue is covered with his chiton, but his chest is uncovered, standing in a comfortable way. His age is visible and that’s a clue that shows now that the art becomes realistic, it is a characteristic of the Hellenistic period, that is 2,300 years ago.The holes that we see in his arms is because of the sculptors were using different pieces of marble in this case and they were joining them with links; links that they were using to join the pieces with the rest of the body. That’s why where the statue is connected is more fragile this part.
Stop 23 - The Statue of Antinoos
We are passing the steps and we enter in the room that refers to the Romans’ art. Roman art had a big influence from the Greeks. Our gaze gets focused on the great statue of a handsome man with the name “Antinoos”. Antinoos is standing next to the step. According to the story, Antinoos was the favourite boy of the Roman emperor Hadrian. He was very handsome and maybe his origins were of Greek Syrians. Antinoos drowned in the river of Niles in a very young age and the Roman emperor Hadrian was devastated. For that reason, the emperor dedicated to the sanctuaries of Greece but not only and in the cities of the empire the statue of the boy and he claimed him divine.Antinoos of Delphi that we see is so well preserved as he was found protected under the soft ground and close to the temple of Apollo. We do see him naked with very natural shape body, his balancing on a bending foot, his turning his head to a direction and his look is almost dreaming and apparently was wearing a metallic wreath, due to the holes we see around his curly hair. Antinoos is one of the masterpieces of the museum.The hint for that statue is that still the marble shines, particularly on the neck. We do know that the Romans in order to protect the marble statues were using a specific oil and that’s how they were protecting, and they could create a shining colour. They were calling this technique, patina.
Stop 24 - The “Melancholy Roman”
Next to the remarkable statue there is another roman masterpiece known as “the melancholy Roman”. We are talking of the marble head which is actually a portrait of the Roman Consul Titus Quintus Flaminian. He was one of the Roman Consuls who declared in Corinth, a city of Peloponnese the “freedom” of Greece from the dominion of the Greek Macedonians.
Stop 25 - Other Exhibits
Next to the “Melancholy Roman” and the statue of Antinoos, there is a big round shape like a well remaining from the sanctuary of Goddess Athena Pronaia Providence. It is an altar with a carving that represents 12 girls decorating ribbons on a garland. Apart the altar from the sanctuary of Athena Providence, there are other details in that room like very important historical proof exhibits of the Roman dominion as the Romans entered the Greek territory in 168 B.C, that is 2,200 years ago as they were fighting the Greek Macedonians and wanted them in that fighting of 168 in the area of Pydna. That proof is the decoration that we see of the ‘styli’ next to the altar of the statue of Antinoos. Leaving the room, we do see the Roman inscription on the top of the wall and the frieze from the theatre of Apollo.
Stop 26 - Charioteer
The last room of the museum exhibits one of the greatest artifacts of Greece – the famous “Charioteer”. A bronze, intact statue where his eyes have been made with semi-precious stones and white enamel.It was a gift dedication originally from the south part of Italy known as Great Greece and from the city of Tzela. The story says the tyrant of this place Polyzalos participated in one of the Pythian Games, actually horse races and he sent the Charioteer and his chariot.He won so he dedicated a complex of statues, three horses, a servant, the charioteer and the chariot.The earthquake of 373 B.C. destroyed it, but on the other hand protected it as well as the complex had been covered with a ground and a rock. The French archaeologist found three horse legs and a hand of the servant while the big statue was found divided in 2 pieces and 10 meters one from the other – The statue has been restored and we can understand the hight quality art and the three dimensions that has. But we have to walk clockwise and observe the head of the statue and compare it with its legs. In the beginning standing in front of him, we observe that the head is turning slightly to the right and his feet to the left. We start walking clockwise and around him, always keeping the distance and we observe the upper with the lower part of the body. Reaching his side part, we see that the upper part is turning to the left while from the waist and below is turning on the opposite side.Observing his back part, we understand that his shoulders are bending too. The stripes that he wears create the impression that they keep his chiton tight to his body.The ‘Pleiades’ of his chiton emphasize the idea of the wind that is entering underneath, as he is running with the horses.With a closer look at his feet, we see that he is not stepping with a full step on the base. If we could pass a piece of paper under his feet, we could see that the paper is sliding under them and is stopping on the heels. Actually, the charioteer is balancing on his heels while the bending shoulders creating the balance, they keep him stable and he is in coordination the upper part with the lower part of the body.Arriving diagonally and almost in front of him our aspect changes again – now the feeling is that only from the waist and above is turning as if the statue plays games with our gaze. ‘Till the moment we stop again from where we started, that means almost in front of him, we can see that he has, ‘Till the moment we stop again from where we started, the very first moment, we can understand the three dimensions that the statue has, we can see the two (2) directions of his body and the feeling is of a moving image.The charioteer wears a band around his head should be of silver and symbolizing the ‘meander’, symbol of eternity, the Greek key. Usually, the winners as they were symbolizing their victory, they were wearing this band. The eyelashes have been restored and if we had the chance to see to see between his lips, we could see that his teeth are made of silver. The charioteer of Delphi is one of the rare statues of bronze so well preserved without being oxidized and remains in Greece where most of them ended in the fond of the sea or have been melted by the Romans.The technique of the statue of bronze was the technique of the lost wax, a very measured in details art.On our way out worth a last look on this magnificent statue that leads the classical Greek art towards the immortality.
The End
Thank you for the companion, and we hope you enjoyed this tour of Delphi Museum. If you ‘re up for even more sightseeing, visit our website at www.keytours.gr and choose among plenty of guided tours covering great sites of Greek history. Antio sas!
