Trophonius Oracle, Ancient Greek sanctuary in Livadia, Greece

The Trophonius Oracle is an underground, oven-shaped structure on the flattened summit of the Prophet Elijah hill in western Livadeia, preserved to ground level. Its walls are built of reused stones, and the floor, about 1.90 m in diameter, holds a narrow groove matching the ancient description of the stomion, just two spans high. The height reaches roughly 3.5 m.

The oracle was already being sought out by 1795, when local and foreign archaeologists and amateurs began investigating the site on the flattened summit of the Hill of Prophet Elias west of Livadia. Excavations in 1968, conducted with the 9th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, uncovered the underground chamber. The latest pottery on its floor dates to the destruction caused by the Heruli.

The oracle took its name from Trophonius, a figure of local myth. Aristophanes' Clouds preserves the phrase "going down to the Trophonian cave" as an idiom for being seized by fear, and in Euripides' Ion, Xouthos consults Trophonius on his way to Delphi. Three Macedonian kings, Amyntas son of Perdiccas, Philip II and Antiochus IV Epiphanes, are inferred from inscriptions to have been initiated at the sanctuary.

The site is located near the modern town of Livadia in Boeotia and is best visited during warmer months when paths are accessible. Wear sturdy shoes and allow time to slowly explore the underground remains and understand the layout.

The narrow channel preserved in the floor matches Pausanias's description of an opening only two spans high. The monument has been sought and studied by Greek and foreign archaeologists and amateurs since 1795, and the last sherds found on the floor date to the destruction caused by the Heruli.