Delphi: A History of the Center of the Ancient World by Michael Scott (PDF)

Description

A comprehensive narrative history of the ancient world’s center, from its founding to its modern rediscoveryThe oracle and sanctuary of the Greek god Apollo at Delphi were known as the “omphalos”―the “center” or “navel”―of the ancient world for more than 1,000 years. Individuals, city leaders, and kings came from all over the Mediterranean and beyond to consult Delphi’s oracular priestess; to set up monuments to the gods; and to take part in competitions.In this richly illustrated account, Michael Scott covers the history and nature of Delphi, from the literary and archaeological evidence surrounding the site, to its rise as a center of worship, to the constant appeal of the oracle despite her cryptic prophecies. He describes how Delphi became a contested sacred site for Greeks and Romans and a storehouse for the treasures of rival city-states and foreign kings. He also examines the eventual decline of the site and how its meaning and importance have continued to be reshaped.A unique window into the center of the ancient world, Delphi will appeal to general readers, tourists, students, and specialists.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “One of Choice’s Outstanding Academic Titles for 2014″”Shortlisted for the 2015 Runciman Award, Anglo-Hellenic League””[D]eftly combines literary and material evidence. . . . Overall, Scott offers a broad and well-documented history of the Delphic oracle, including an (excellent) epilogue on how the site was rediscovered at the end of the 19th century.”—Barbara Graziosi, Times Higher Education”[O]f absorbing interest. . . . I doubt whether there’s a single archaeological report or relevant inscription, however obscure, that has escaped his notice, and no other scholar known to me keeps one so constantly conscious of the realities . . . that leave him with the nagging question: ‘What motivated the continuation of settlement in this otherwise rather difficult physical habitat clinging to the mountainside?’. . . [Scott’s] final chapters give the fullest and most vivid general account of Delphi’s slow excavation over the past century that I’ve seen. . . . Scott’s narrative never falters.”—Peter Green, London Review of Books”Judicious, measured and thorough . . . Mr. Scott, like Pausanias before him, is a handy companion to what remains–and what we can only wish was still to be seen.”—Brendan Boyle, Wall Street Journal”Scott’s passion and expertise are readily apparent. . . . An enjoyable resource for scholars and students. Additionally, prospective visitors to the modern site of Delphi will be interested in Scott’s brief guide, which is included at the back of the book.” ― Publishers Weekly”Tells you everything there is to know about Delphi.”—Sam Leith, Spectator”A traveler on a typical ten-hour flight to Greece from the United States will find this book to be a valuable and entertaining companion.” ― About.com Greece Travel”The story is told clearly and engagingly.”—Peter Jones, Literary Review”I don’t think there can be much about Delphi’s history that Dr. Scott has missed out on in this book. I needn’t have worried that only one book on the subject wouldn’t be enough to give me enough information for my visit. I wanted the definitive book and as far as I’m concerned I picked the right one.” ― Tales from A Tour Guide”The oracle is not the main concern of this fine, scholarly book. Although you can hardly write about Delphi without writing about the Pythia, Scott’s interest is much more in the site itself, the way it developed from a couple of buildings on a mountainside into the elaborate sanctuary of the classical period and beyond. . . . Because Delphi was the focus of so much ancient attention, this rich but remote archaeological site gives us a keyhole view of the history of the ancient world as a whole, as cities are founded and proclaim their existence to the international community; as cities fall and find their monuments encroached on, buried or pecked at by prophetic crows; as dedications to commemorate victories over foreigners at Salamis give way to trophies of victories over other Greeks; as the Spartans inscribe their name on a gift of Croesus and hope no one will notice.”—James Davidson, The Guardian”This is an engaging tribute to a site that enjoined its visitors to know themselves–a demand that, in turn, requires us to know the Greeks.”—Alex Clapp, Ekathimerini”Excellent. . . . The more important question for [Scott] is not how the oracle functioned, but why it endured as an institution for over a thousand years. For the scholar who wants to see the full range of evidence and possible interpretations–a rounded view–this approach is particularly useful.”—Daisy Dunn, History Today”[A] comprehensive and sympathetic history. . . . Scott puts it beautifully: both as an idea and an historical conundrum, Delphi ensures we keep the ground ‘insecure’ beneath our feet.”—Bettany Hughes, BBC History Magazine”Scott’s erudition is balanced by a lively style, making for a thoroughly readable work. Copies endnotes, bibliography, and illustrations (including eight in color) accompany the text, as does a brief guide to the site’s museum.” ― Choice”[T]here is much to commend in this new history, which deserves to be widely read.”—Hugh Bowden, Anglo-Hellenic Review”[A] thoroughly researched, highly readable, insightful, enjoyable, and comprehensive tour of one of the ancient world’s most fascinating sites.”—Guy Maclean Rogers, American Historical Review”Well written and enjoyable to read. . . . A brief guide for those touring the site and its surroundings in the appendix makes this book a knowledgeable travel companion for all those visiting Delphi for the first time.”—Julia Kindt, European Review of History”A reliable, well-informed, and highly readable account based on the author’s considerable knowledge of the site and the archaeological campaigns that have brought it back into the light. . . . [A] fine and lucid book.”—Craige B. Champion, The Historian”[This book] is an excellent ‘biography’ of the Delphi and should be read by those who are interested in understanding the site’s historical context.”—Renee M. Gondek, Religious Studies Review”Engaging. . . . What elevates this book above standard scholarly accounts is its holistic view and its concern with why the oracle has had such influence not only in the ancient past but also in the modern period.”—Sara Forsdyke, Common Knowledge”Michael Scott’s Delphi hits the mark.” ― Ancient West and East Review “Like the two eagles released by Zeus from opposite ends of the world who then met in Delphi, Michael Scott gets to the heart of antiquity’s most celebrated and enigmatic oracle. A vivid and lucid study that reanimates the mentality of those who consulted Apollo more convincingly than any other I have read.”―Tom Holland, author of Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West”Learned and elegant, Michael Scott’s Delphi offers an in-the-round study of the heart of ancient Greece, a focus of religion, art, athletics, intrigue, and treasure so potent that it still gives us an adjective for enigmatic―’Delphic.’ Scott’s irresistible narrative brings it all back to life.”―Barry Strauss, author of Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the Genius of Leadership”Few scholars know the history of ancient Delphi as intimately as Michael Scott does. Apollo’s injunction to ‘know yourself’ is as hard to obey now as it was in ancient times, but readers seeking enlightenment will surely be encouraged to learn that the unsettling Delphic effect is good for them. On a more earthly plane, they will find Scott’s expert guidance to the site and its museum invaluable.”―Paul Cartledge, author of After Thermopylae: The Oath of Plataea and the End of the Graeco-Persian Wars From the Back Cover “Like the two eagles released by Zeus from opposite ends of the world who then met in Delphi, Michael Scott gets to the heart of antiquity’s most celebrated and enigmatic oracle. A vivid and lucid study that reanimates the mentality of those who consulted Apollo more convincingly than any other I have read.”–Tom Holland, author of Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West”Learned and elegant, Michael Scott’s Delphi offers an in-the-round study of the heart of ancient Greece, a focus of religion, art, athletics, intrigue, and treasure so potent that it still gives us an adjective for enigmatic–‘Delphic.’ Scott’s irresistible narrative brings it all back to life.”–Barry Strauss, author of Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the Genius of Leadership”Few scholars know the history of ancient Delphi as intimately as Michael Scott does. Apollo’s injunction to ‘know yourself’ is as hard to obey now as it was in ancient times, but readers seeking enlightenment will surely be encouraged to learn that the unsettling Delphic effect is good for them. On a more earthly plane, they will find Scott’s expert guidance to the site and its museum invaluable.”–Paul Cartledge, author of After Thermopylae: The Oath of Plataea and the End of the Graeco-Persian Wars About the Author Michael Scott is associate professor of classics and ancient history at the University of Warwick. He has written and presented a number of ancient history documentaries for National Geographic, the History channel, Nova, and the BBC, including one on Delphi. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐If you like history especially of the Ancient Greece variety, this is one for you. There is no much detail to immerse yourself into it is practically a reference book to have on your shelf.

⭐So many of the ancients said. The priestess sits above a cleft in the rock and delivers her prognostications under the influence of vapors seeping from below. Then again, maybe not, since excavations of the late 19th cent showed no such formation. I always wondered, anyway, how anyone would remain coherent or even functioning adequately on a 24 hour bender! Though, as Scott remarks, the store was only open a few days a year. (Ps, Peter Green’s excellent review in July’s LRB takes the ancient sources as correct.)Scott delivers a history of Delphi’s life from the end of the Greek dark ages to the late Romans and the part it has played in our own imaginations. He is completely versed in the classical and Roman sources. I spent a day there with my wife six or seven years ago. What with the roads, sidewalks and tour busses, I didn’t find the local geography as stunning as Scott’s practiced eye does. The remains, however, are as evocative as the Acropolis.I picked up the excellent and wonderfully illustrated guide published by the Greek government (Photios Petsas, “Delphi, Monuments and Museum”- available from Amazon for about $12. I agree with the reviewer who remarked that the illustrations in Scott’s book are not totally helpful. With Scott’s book, it’s all you’ll ever need). It’s true that an aquantance with ancient history is necessary to read the book easily. In fact, if you don’t have it, skip this book. But if you have that and are at least a neophyte Greekfreak or aging classics major like me, you’ll want this book. For me, a 71 yr-old classics student and sometime teacher on the subject, it served as a focal point to review the whole of ancient history. That was the great value of the book for me. It makes you think on not only the site, but the whole of Greek history. Kind of a Cliff Notes on ancient history with a focus one vary important aspect. So I got a detailed history Delphi plus a review.It’s in the contemporary mode, you might say. It ‘deconstructs’ Delphi by telling us (not only) the “facts”, the archeology and the ancient accounts, but the part or role the site has played in the minds and sensibilities of folks through the centuries. It is a good reminder that buildings and monuments ( I thought here of the recent discussion of the “meaning” of the Parthenon friezes) whether Delphi, the Washington monument or an old Quaker meeting house are more than piles of limestone and marble bearing their own meanings. What they are depends a lot on who we are.

⭐The oracle at Delphi began as early as the Bronze Age and latest well into the Christian Era, as one of the last of the pagan oracles to survive. The history of Delphi thus inevitably gives one new insight into the evolution of Greece. Although Plutarch ended as a priest in Delphi, the written sources of much of its history are late and sometimes second-hand. The author’s command of recent archaeological data helps, but one of the things I like about this book is that he is very clear about the limits of our knowledge and discusses alternative hypotheses. I probably wouldn’t recommend this book to readers unfamiliar with Ancient Greece or those who like their historical narratives full of rounded characters, but for those of us fascinated with ancient history, this is good reading.

⭐Michael Scott’s Delphi is a fascinating stroll through the history of the spiritual center of the ancient Greek world. It seems obvious that he’d touch on the spiritual significance of the site, but he also focuses on the potent political influence the oracle exerted over the city-states, mixing the mysticism with all-to-human politics, and narrating a story of Delphi from the apex of its influence to its decline. I would have liked a more detailed ‘walk-through’ of the sanctuary of Apollo, but this would be difficult given the changes in the site throughout its long history. Highlights abound. Scott captures the majesty and drama of the navel of the world. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about this fascinating epicenter of ancient Greece. Though I am a layman in the study of the subject, I found this book a valuable and accessible resource.

⭐The author is a professor and this is published by Princeton! I think the information was good and useful, though it was written in a very sludgy way that required great focus to get through.Princeton needs a better editor than whoever edited this! The grammar is so annoying that I actually stopped reading it and decided just to keep it for reference. For instance, the editor, who needs to learn how to diagram sentences as we did in the past, didn’t seem to know that a dependent clause at the beginning of a sentence must be followed by a main subject that agrees with the subject of the clause. This and other very elementary grammar errors were to be found on practically every other page of the book. PRINCETON! I trusted you! I suppose one could also argue that the author himself should know better, but unfortunately it is possible to become a respected specialist in these times without knowing how to write correctly. Sigh.

⭐I haven’t read it yet, so the following is based on a brief perusal: I know my ancient Greek history, but it looks as if this book will fill in the “modern” history of Delphi, including the unearthing of ruins over the past century-plus. As I am traveling to Delphi in a month for my second visit, this should be the perfect preparatory read for a better understanding of what I am seeing. My maternal grandfather grew up at the base of the ancient site, so this will help me to make a better connection to my ancestry.

⭐Wow, I thought I knew a lot about Delphi but I was a babe in the woods. Scott’s book will tell you everything you need to know, and maybe more. I only wish I had this book with me when I visited the site ten years ago. My only complaint is that the last third or so of this book is made up of notes. Why do publishers still do this when the one percent of people who need the notes should be able to access them on line, thus saving tons of paper yearly? Still, for anyone interested in ancient Greece, this book is a treasure.

⭐Very good book .It was a pity I bought after my return for delphi .I should bought before .really very well written and help me understand delphi better

⭐Theme of this book is very interesting and unusual. Delphi was not only the centre of the Ancient world, but heart of Hellenistic culture. A lot of facts, dates, also plenty funny stories from history of Antiquity. Despite this, first part of book is a bit academic, but other part is perfect and you even won’t feel how the last page will come. Nevertheless, I recommend to read this book to all, who love history of Ancient Greece and want to know their religion system much better. By the way, you will know why Greeks hate Macedonians. 🙂

⭐Having visited Delphi earlier in the year I was looking for a book to give more background to how this sanctuary fitted into Greek history. This book certainly gives in depth answers to this question. A fascinating read.

⭐Packed with information but never boring!

⭐Awesome read

⭐Detaikled history ogf Delphi

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