Climbing into history

A TWO-and-a-half-hour coach tour to Delphi, 180km north-west from Athens, brings unexpected surprises.

The first is the majestic mountain scenery on both sides of the highway and the great expanse of agricultural farmland in between that is thriving in what appears to be stony, rocky, dead terrain.

The next is the fascinating ongoing lesson in Greek mythology given by our G.O.Tours guide Mikaela, who is as familar with the stories of Zeus, Apollo, Oedipus and Athina as Australians are with primary school-taught stories of Ned Kelly, Captain James Cook, Banjo Paterson and Captain Arthur Phillip.

When we visited Athens in October last year, the city's Acropolis and other incredible ruins, the National Archeological Museum, Acropolis Museum, the restaurants and shops of the Plaka and Monastiriki Square monopolised our two days of exploration.

Although we tried, we couldn't squeeze in a visit to Delphi, which at least a dozen friends had recommended.

There was no way I was missing it this time (though I nearly forgot we had made a booking for our tour and only reconfirmed at 11pm the night before, but that's another story ...).

People from all over the world - from archeologists and history teachers to everyday tourists - come to Delphi, which lies on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.

They visit Delphi, at 1000m above sea level, to survey the natural surrounds: the sea of green olive trees, the high jagged mountain tops and the gorge way down below. In winter, the area attracts the ski fraternity.

Delphi's beginnings can be traced to the second millennium BC, but in the 6th century BC, it was considered the religious centre and symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world.

Its most visited area today is the archeological site that is the Sanctuary of Apollo, from the Pan-Hellenic era. This is where the oracle of Apollo spoke.

The stadium (from the 5th century BC but remodelled with stone seating and arched entrance by the Romans in the 2nd century AD) was home to the Pythian Games from  582 BC, which were held every two years after the Olympic Games, and included arts and dance competitons.

Other highlights include: the remains of the amphitheatre (originally 4th century BC but only the Roman ruins remain including seating); the large white "navel" stone (Zeus is said to have sent eagles across the world to meet at its centre, the "navel" of the world); the Treasury of the Athenians which held offerings to Apollo; and the Stoa of the Athenians which housed the trophies taken in their naval victories over the Persians.

The rock where Sibil made her predictions, the Roman Agora (market) with its monolithic columns, the ruins of a long-gone gymnasium and of course the Temple of Apollo (dating back to the 4th century BC and erected on the remains of an earlier temple of the 6th century BC) can all be found along or seen from the ancient holy road that winds up the mountain.

The nearby Museum is the new "sanctuary" of priceless treasures including the Naxos Sphinx offering to Apollo from the 6th century BC, and the Attic White Ground kylix (plate) of the early 5th century BC with its distinctive depiction of  Apollo, as well as the first Greek cariatides (statues that act as columns or supports).

Mikaela relates the stories here of the tragedy of Emperor Hadrian's male lover and the legend of the twin brothers killed and immortalised after carrying their mother home.

Earthquakes and landslides left ancient Delphi in ruins and deserted for centuries until another community began building on top of the ancient and Roman foundations.

Then, in the 1890s,  a new Delphi town was built nearby to allow the French School of Archeologists to be able to excavate the ancient sanctuary, reveal its secrets and study its history.

With the help of a model and painting by A Tournaire in 1894 created from an ancient traveller's journal, Museum visitors can easily imagine the extent of architectural grandeur, statuesque beauty in sculptures and detailed stories in temple pediments that once existed.

In another unexpected twist, we see the musical notes embedded amid ancient Greek inscriptions in stone (the writing of the time was in capital letters without gaps between words and no punctuation, making initial translation difficult). This was perhaps the first documented Ode to Apollo, the God of Music.

I wonder if the sculptor of the Museum's most famous piece, The Charioteer in bronze, would be as surprised as we were to know that his work was still being viewed in awe 2500 years later.