ABSTRACT
The cult of Apollo at Didyma was administered by Miletus since it was situated in its chore, and the daily functions of the temenos were undertaken by a local clan named the Branchidae. Pactyes fled from Sardis to Cyme and when the Persians demanded that he be surrendered, its citizens prevaricated and sent a delegation to Didyma to ascertain whether they should accede to this request. The Persians were intent on punishing any city which had contributed to Pactyes' rebellion and from Herodotus' account it appears that there had either been widespread support for his cause in Ionia and elsewhere or that the rebellion had caused instability across the region. Herodotus claims that the oracle was fulfilled, and describes the end of Didyma very dramatically: 'shrine and temple and oracle' were ransacked and burned.
