Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the history of the Delphic oracle through important political oracles to demonstrate the extent to which Delphi was involved in Greek poleis. It explains the distinction between the oracle and other religious, political, and social procedures existing at the sanctuary during the second and third centuries AD. The book explains the status of Didyma in the second and third centuries AD to contrast the oracular success in Asia Minor as compared to the extant oracular record at Delphi. It then examines the impact which the rise of new divinatory practices – astrology, Neoplatonism, and theurgy – had on the decline of Delphi. The book also describes the religious practices of the Mediterranean which are based on centuries of convention.