The Oracle of Delphi
Ancient writers said the priestess at Delphi breathed sweet-smelling vapours from the earth before speaking for Apollo.
What was reported
For more than a thousand years, people travelled to Delphi to consult the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, who sat on a tripod in the temple and gave answers in a trance-like state. Rulers consulted her before going to war or founding new cities.
Ancient authors, including Plutarch, who served as a priest there, described a vapour rising from the ground, sometimes with a sweet smell, that inspired her.
Explanations offered
For a long time scholars dismissed the vapours as myth, since excavations found no chasm under the temple. In 2001 a team of geologists reported two faults crossing beneath it and traces of ethylene and other gases in nearby springs, suggesting a natural cause. Other researchers doubt the gas levels could ever have been high enough, so the question remains open.
- When
- Active for over 1,000 years
- Where
- Delphi, Phocis, Greece
- Witnesses
- Ancient writers, including Plutarch, a priest at Delphi
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.