ARCHAEOLOGICAL MEETING OF THESSALY AND CENTRAL GREECE, 2006-2008
FROM PREHISTORY TO THE CONTEMPORARY PERIOD

Paper abstract

AURIGNY Helene
EFA, Member of the French School at Athens
Delphi in the 7th century: offerings and sanctuary

Because historical or epigraphical contemporary sources are missing, and due to the lack of comprehensive publications of the archaeological material from this period, the 7th century at Delphi remains a “dark age”. In comparison, the 8th or the 6th centuries are better known, through the texts and the archaeological monuments. The 7th century is however an important period in Delphi: offerings are changing and the sanctuary is receiving oriental, occidental and orientalising objects. The bronze objects that I am studying since 2006 provide a great source of knowledge about Delphi during the 7th century. Nevertheless, since the origin of the objects and the origin of the visitors are not the same, we have to analyse carefully the datas: Delphi received items from many parts of the Mediterranean area, but those objects do not give much information about the identity of the dedicant. The comparison with other Greek sanctuaries is then useful to answer the following questions: who where those who used to visit Delphi in the 7th century and why is it such an important phase in the development of the sanctuary? Delphi is not an exception in Greece, but the offerings that the Pythian sanctuary received were rather different from other sanctuaries in Central Greece: its role in this area had changed at that time. Thanks to the offerings, we can try to reconstruct the appearance of the sanctuary in the 7th century. Oriental or foreign offerings have a special meaning in Delphi, which received, according to later sources, gifts from oriental kings. The frequentation of the sanctuary shows also that Delphi is getting a really international status. Delphi provides also an example of the orientalising phenomenon in Greece and the very role of the sanctuaries in it.

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