ABSTRACT
A unique calm emanates from the massive stones of the ruins of the Temple of Apollo; the winds blow quietly through the pines and olive trees. The sanctuary of the oracle was guarded by Python, a great and voracious serpent, the son of the Earth goddess. Among the many leading figures in Greek society who journeyed to Delphi was King Croesus of Lydia. Today, relatively little remains of the sanctuary. Archeologists’ analysis of it and their retrospectives suggest that, at the height of its activity, it consisted of the various treasuries of the Greek cities, a gymnasium for exercise and sports spectacles—also built in the 4th century BC, the Stoa of the Athenians, a sort of porch which provided a façade for the building in which Athenian naval victories trophies were housed, a stone theatre, and, finally, several temples. Visitors and conference attendees come there to deliberate and discuss major problems faced by the modern world.
