1 Introduction
In 549 BC, Croesus, king of Lydia, felt threatened by Cyrus of Persia's capture of Media and increasing his power, so he sent envoys to various oracles to obtain oracles. The oracles were Delphi, Abae, Dodona, Amphiaraus, Trophonius, Branchidae. Among them, it was Delphi that Croesus recognized as the most trustworthy. [1]
Other well-known oracles were Clarus and Mount Ptous.
2 Oracle of Abae
Pausanias tells us that Abae is the sacred place of Apollo and that there was an oracle there from ancient times. [2]
The 6th century AD grammarian Stephanus of Byzantium notes that the oracle of Abae preceded the oracle of Delphi. [3]
However, the oracle of Abae first appears in historical sources during the reign of Croesus in the 6th century BC.
3 Oracle of Amphiaraus
The oracle of Amphiaraus was located at Psaphis in Oropus, near the border between Boeotia and Attica. [4]
Oropus was the first to consider the seer Amphiaraus to be a god, and it later spread among the Greeks. [5]
Croesus, king of Lydia, presented a golden shield and a spear to the shrine of Amphiaraus. Their votive offerings were in the temple of the Ismenian Apollo at Thebes in the time of Herodotus. [6]
Amphiaraus, the son of Oecles, son of Mantius, son of Melampus, took part in Adrastus' attack on Thebes, and was killed in battle.
The place where Amphiaraus died was not at Psaphis, but south of the Electran gate of Thebes. [7]
4 Oracle of Branchidae
4.1 Founding of the oracle
In 1186 BC, the Magnesians who took part in the Trojan expedition from Thessaly did not return to their homeland, but settled in Delphi. [8]
In 1173 BC, the Magnesians migrated to Asia Minor with the Delphians, led by Machaereus, son of Daetas, who killed Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, who ravaged Delphi. [9]
The Magnesians and Delphians founded Magnesia in Lydia. [10]
The Magnesians lived near the Didyman hills on Dotium Plain in Thessaly before migrating to Asia Minor. [11]
Smicrus, son of Democlus, a descendant of Machaereus, migrated from Magnesia to Miletus, where his son Branchus was born. [12]
Branchus opened the oracle of Apollo at Didyma, near Miletus. The oracle of Branchidae was the second most prestigious oracle after the oracle of Delphi. [13]
4.2 Year of founding
Pausanias notes that the oracle's founding predates the Ionian settlement. [14]
Pausanias may have deduced this from the fact that the Miletus historian Leander notes that Cleochus was buried in the Didymaeum of Miletus. [15]
Cleochus was the father of Aria, the mother of Miletus, who migrated from Crete to Asia Minor and founded Miletus, in the 14th century BC. [16]
However, the burial of Cleochus in Didymaeum does not prove that Didymaeum existed in the 14th century BC.
Branchus was entrusted with a captive mother and child by Leodamas, a descendant of Neileus, son of Codrus, ruler of Miletus. The capture was taken by Leodamas in a battle with Carystus of Euboea, an event that took place during the Lelantine War. [17]
Branchus dates from the period of the monarchy before the tyrants of Miletus, and the oracle of Apollo at Didyma was founded around 720 BC.
4.3 Destruction by Xerxes
Xerxes the Great of Persia destroyed the temples and oracle of the Branchidae at Didyma near Miletus. [18]
Branchidae surrendered the treasures of the temple and followed Xerxes, leaving Didyma and emigrating to Sogdiana. [19]
Branchidae's temple was endowed with wealth that enabled Miletus to build a fleet large enough to win command of the seas from Persia. [20]
At this time, not all the Branchidae of Didyma emigrated, but some remained. Around 300 BC, Antiochus' son Seleucus returned the statue of Apollo from Ecbatana to the Branchidae of Miletus. [21]
4.4 Fall of the Branchidae of Sogdiana
In 327 BC, the Branchidae of Sogdiana was destroyed by Alexander the Great.
The reason for the destruction was that their ancestors betrayed the people by handing over the temple's treasures to Xerxes. [22]
One reason may have been that Branchidae was a descendant of Machaereus, son of Daetas, who killed Neoptolemus, maternal ancestor of Alexander the Great. [23]
Considering this connection, the legend that in 331 BC, while Alexander the Great was in Memphis of Egypt, received a prophecy from the Branchidae of Miletus that pleased him, seems to be a fiction. [24]
5 Oracle of Clarus (or Claros)
In 1196 BC, the Epigoni captives, including Tiresias' daughter Manto, emigrated to Asia Minor, where they were taken in and co-dwelled with Rhacius, son of Lebes of Colophon. [25]
Manto established the oracle of Apollon at Clarus by the sea near Colophon. [26]
The oracle of Apollo of Clarus is dated to around 1194 BC.
The oracle was inherited by Manto's son Mopsus. [27]
Mopsus then moved to Cilicia with his half-brother Amphilochus and founded Mallus, and Mopsus' son seems to have inherited the oracle of Clarus. [28]
Rhode, the daughter of Mopsus, was the progenitor of Rhodia (Rhodiapolis) in Lycia, and Aristander, a seer from nearby Telmessus who served on Alexander the Great's campaigns, is also thought to be a descendant of Mopsus. [29]
In 334 BC, the inhabitants of Smyrna received an oracle from the oracle of Clarus regarding the construction of a new city. [30]
6 Oracle of Delphi
6.1 Founding of Lycoreia
In 1750 BC, during the Great Flood of the Ogygus era, some of the people living near the Cephisus River in Phocis fled to Mount Parnassus and founded Lycoreia. [31]
The founder of Lycoreia was Lycorus (or Lycoreus). [32]
Some of the inhabitants of Lycoreia later moved near the sanctuary of Delphi. [33]
6.2 Founding of Delphi
According to the genealogy reported by Pausanias, Delphi's godfather Delphus was the son of Celaeno, daughter of Hyamus, son of Lycorus.
In other words, it is estimated that Delphi was founded by Delphus around 1690 BC. [34]
6.3 God of the Oracle of Delphi
Delphi was originally home to the oracle of the Earth, where Daphnis prophesied. [35]
Afterwards, the oracle was shared by Poseidon and Earth, who was served by Pyrcon. [36]
The oracle was then passed from Earth to Themis, and from Themis to Apollo. [37]
6.4 Founding of the Oracle of Apollo
Olen of Lycia, one of the founders of Apollo's oracle, was born before the poet Orpheus. [38]
Olen was the son of Lycus, son of Pandion, who migrated from Athens to Lycia, and is estimated to have been born around 1280 BC. [39]
Phemonoe, the oracle's first female seer, preceded Orpheus by 27 years. [40]
This Orpheus was not a famous poet, but one of the Argonauts, and Phemonoe is estimated to have been born around 1290 BC.
The first winner of the competition singing the Pythian Apollon hymn was Chrysothemis, daughter of Carmanor, who purified Apollo. [41]
Chrysothemis was the wife of Staphylus, son of Ariadne, daughter of Minos, and is estimated to have been born around 1270 BC. [42]
Judging from the marriage of Apollo, purified by Carmanor, and Minos' daughter Acacallis, it is estimated that Apollo's oracle was established around 1255 BC. [43]
6.5 Oldest visitor
The earliest person recorded to have received oracles at the oracle at Delphi was Maceris, the father of Sardus. [44]
It is estimated that Maceris visited Delphi around 1420 BC.
Maceris was a hero called Egyptian Heracles or Phoenician Heracles. [45]
7 Oracle of Dodona
7.1 Oracle of Thessaly
In 1560 BC, there was a great famine in Argos, and Larisa, daughter of Pelasgus, son of Triopas, king of Argos, emigrated to Arcadia with Pelasgus, son of Agenor, son of Triopas.
Pelasgus, son of Agenor, discovered edible oak nuts and taught them to the people. [46]
Later, Larisa led a group of Pelasgians to Thessaly. [47]
The Pelasgians planted an oak tree brought from Arcadia near Scotussa in Thessaly to create an oracle of Zeus. [48]
7.2 Relocation to Dodona
In 1480 BC, part of the oak tree that served as the sacred tree for the oracle of Zeus was destroyed by fire. The Pelasgians followed the oracle and moved their oracle to Thesprotia. [49]
Thessalus, son of Haemon, planted oak trees brought from Scotussa in Thessaly in Dodona and built the oracle and temple of Zeus. [50]
The women of Scotussa accompanied the oracle in its move. The priestesses in charge of prophecies at the oracle of Dodona were their descendants. [51]
Haemon, the father of Thessalus, was the son of Pelasgus, son of Larisa. [52]
7.3 Relationship between Dodona and Pelasgians
In 1390 BC, the Pelasgians living in Thessaly were chased by the sons of Deucalion and migrated elsewhere. Most of the Pelasgians settled around Dodona. [53]
At that time, the people living around Dodona accepted the Pelasgians who had fled from Thessaly as their kin. [54]
In 1126 BC, while the Pelasginans occupying Coroneia in Boeotia and the Boeotians returning from Arne in Thessaly were fighting, both received an oracle at Dodona. The Boeotians reportedly doubted the oracles they received because the priestesses of Dodona were kin to the Pelasginans. [55]
It was widely known to the people of the time that the founders of Dodona were the Pelasginans.
7.4 The oldest oracle in Greece
Herodotus notes that Dodona is the oldest oracle in Greece. [56]
Herodotus seems not to have known that the oracle had been moved from Thessaly to Dodona.
If Herodotus had known this, he would have noted that the oracle at Thessaly before being moved to Dodona was the oldest.
Or perhaps there was already an ancient oracle on Dodona before it was moved from Thessaly. In that case, the founding date of the oracle of Dodona is completely unknown and cannot be compared with other oracles.
8 Oracle of Olympian Zeus
Strabo tells us that before Olympia was famous for its competitions, it was famous for the oracle of Olympian Zeus. [57]
If the oracle was established by the Idaean Heracles, who first held the games at Olympia, it would have been in the Late 15th century BC. [58]
9 Oracle of Mt. Ptous
In 1330 BC, Tenerus, son of Melia (or Metope), established an oracle on Mount Ptous, east of Lake Copais in Boeotia. [59]
Melia was the daughter of Ladon, son of Udaeus, who migrated to Boeotia with Cadmus in 1420 BC. [60]
Tenerus was a line of prophets, following Teiresias, Manto, and Mopsus.
In 1205 BC, during Epigoni's attack on Thebes, Teiresias died and his daughter Manto was taken prisoner. [61]
Manto emigrated to Ionia in Asia Minor and established the oracle of Apollo at Clarus, on the coast near Colophon, which was succeeded by her son Mopsus. [62]
The priestess of Mt. Ptous who gave oracles by Carian Language during the Persian War was also a descendant of Tenerus, and is thought to have had contact with the descendants of Mopsus, son of Manto, in Asia Minor. [63]
The oracle on Mount Ptous lasted about 1000 years until Alexander the Great destroyed Thebes in 335 BC. [64]
10 Oracle of Thesprotia
Pausanias writes that in ancient times there was an oracle in Aornum of Thesprotis, in which the dead were summoned. [65]
The poet Orpheus visited the oracle to meet his late wife Eurydice. [66]
In the 7th century BC, Periander, son of Cypselus, tyrant of Corinth, sent messengers to near the Acheron in Thesprotis to hear the oracle of his late wife Melissa. [67]
The oracle to which Cypselus sent his messengers seems to be the same as the oracle at Aornum described by Pausanias.
Pausanias also writes that Theseus, king of Athens, went on an expedition to Thesprotis in an attempt to abduct the queen, and it appears that he went to this oracle. [68]
Toward the end of Theseus' reign, Theseus' wife Phaedra died. [69]
Theseus, like Orpheus and Periander, seems to have gone to Thesprotis to obtain an oracle from the ghost of his late wife.
11 Oracle of Trophonius
Lebadeia in Boeotia was a town dedicated to the god Trophonius. [70]
Trophonius was the son of Erginus, king of Orchomenus, and brother of Agamedes, and is said to have been a master craftsman who built the temple of Delphi and other buildings. [71]
However, after Erginus' death, the descendants of Erginus' brothers, rather than Trophonius or Agamedes, succeeded to the throne, so Erginus' sons appear to be invented figures. [72]
Trophonius had children and his daughter's name was Hercyna. [73]
It is unknown when the sanctuary of Trophonius existed, but it is certain that it was already a famous sanctuary as early as the 7th century BC.
It is said that during the Second Messenian War, Aristomenes recovered the lost shield from the sanctuary of Trophonius, and later dedicated it to Lebadeia. [74]
The oracle of Trophonius was also mentioned as one of the oracles to which Croesus, king of Lydia, sent messengers to test oracles in the 6th century BC. [75]
In the 1st century BC, the Roman general Sulla ravaged Lebadeia and removed treasure from the oracle. [76]
Legend has it that the wooden statue of Trophonius at Lebadeia was the work of Daedalus, a contemporary of Minos. [77]
If this tradition is correct, Trophonius was worshiped as a god in the 13th century BC.
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