ABSTRACT
Pilgrims often had to travel long distances, with the longest journeys made by those from the west, in Italy and Sicily, or Cyrene and Alexandria in Africa, who travelled to the panhellenic festivals of mainland Greece or to major festivals in Asia Minor. Such journeys were not without risks of various kinds, and the problems pilgrims faced en route highlight the importance attached to pilgrimage. Pilgrimage sites themselves could become the focus of military conflict: the Sacred Wars, for example, fought in the vicinity of Delphi presumably discouraged pilgrimage to the site.
