Archaeological Site of Delphi, Listed archaeological site on Mount Parnassus, Greece

The archaeological site of Delphi lies on the southern slope of Mount Parnassus in Phocis, at about 600 metres above sea level. Its centre is the sanctuary of Apollo, with the temple, treasuries and dedicatory monuments, plus a theatre and a stadium built between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE. The theatre is cut into the slope: tiered rows of grey stone seats rise in a semicircle above a flat floor of large irregular slabs, and rectangular stone foundations stand behind it.

Delphi was inhabited by the Bronze Age and cult activity is attested from the late 9th century BCE; the first monuments of Apollo's sanctuary date to the 7th century BCE. The Amphictyony administered the sanctuary, and the First Sacred War (c. 592–582 BCE) ended with the destruction of Crisa. The Alcmaeonids rebuilt the temple after the fire of 548 BCE. In 394 CE Theodosius I ordered pagan temples closed.

Delphi's name was linked in antiquity either to Delphos, a legendary founder, or to delphys, the Greek word for womb, after the shape of the site. The Pythia gave her responses seated on a tripod, and the priestess's inspired state was attributed by ancient sources to vapours rising from a cleft in the ground, a question still debated. In the three winter months when Apollo was held to be absent, the temple passed under the sign of Dionysos, whose tomb was located inside the sanctuary.

The site is open throughout the year and sits on a mountainside, so comfortable shoes are important for navigating the uneven paths. An adjacent museum displays artifacts and sculptures discovered during excavations, providing good context for what you see outside.

At the sacred spot stood the Omphalos, a stone marked with two bronze eagles that the ancient Greeks identified as the center of the world. This point represented for ancient visitors the middle of the entire known universe.