As a Greek and walking daily between many different really magnificent ancient structures, it is hard to describe the awe you feel when walking through the Delphi site. Am absolutely amazing place, even in its current state.
Seeing this incredibly smart archaelogist having this small channel with videos posted in 2023 with a quality not better than my lame 2020 home made “vlogs” filmed on my phone it’s amazing!
thanks! These are teaching videos or conference lectures so far. I've got more of those to add, but also working on some content specifically for UA-cam, so keep your eye out!
I drove by myself from Athens to Delphi for a day trip. Just the most lovely place I've ever been to. I got so overwhelmed by it I called my wife in the States where it was 4am without thinking. Oops.
It looks like it would have been such a gorgeous sight, both in terms of landscape and in terms of the beauty captured by the everyday in a society so far away in time. It's simultaneously both easy and hard to imagine lifetimes once lived within these now crumbling stones. So beautiful and just fricken cool
great video. ive always wondered how the architects showed the constructors how and where to put the various materials. Were there blueprints? Were there written directions to explain the hows and whys of these massive buildings and walls? Would their be a copy at the quarry, one at the site, one at the architects' office, and one original to make sure people knew what to do? What would happen if the architect died? What would happen if the construction manager quit or died. If I had a plastic model to put together and only worked on it 1 day a week I would use the printed schematic or blueprint? What material did the Greeks use to draw these structures? thanks
You talked about the architecture of the post-earthquake rebuild of the temple of apollo -- but got any info about its predecessor? When was it built? Was it also decorated with Apollo/Artemis/Dionysius/etc? Or was there some different pantheon? Was the site always associated with Apollo? I thought there was a myth that involved Apollo taking over the site from Gaia... kinda curious if there's any material evidence of that previous cult practice!
some good questions! We know there was an Archaic Temple built by the Athenian Alcmaeonid family in the 6th century BCE. It had 6x15 columns (so a very similar size as the 4th century temple whose remains we see today). It's a fairly well-known temple, with some evidence from foundations but mostly historical sources that mention it. Anything earlier is somewhat mythological and unclear. The Roman traveler Pausanias mentions 3 earlier temples (the last was destroyed by fire, which caused the construction of the Archaic temple). But, really not much is known about them. We certainly know it was an important site from at least the Geometric period, and there are even Bronze Age artifacts on a lower terrace near the later Temple of Athena. Several deities were worshiped at Delphi, not just Apollo. But I wouldn't place too much stock into worship changing from Gaia to Apollo. Those myths aren't clear and don't line up with archaeological evidence in any solid fashion. Gaia, Pan, Athena, Apollo, and more had sacred areas in the landscape and worship structures at the sanctuary and in the surrounding landscape. Hope that helps! To get a sense of how complicated Greek polytheism was, maybe give a read to this Twitter thread I wrote: twitter.com/FlintDibble/status/1013869173355708416
Question: What is labelled at the start of your video as the "Treasury of the Athenians"... is that not rather the "Treasury of the Delian League", which, when the Athenians decided to move its contents to Athens to use for what Euripides referred to as, "Decking Athens out like a prostitute" (i.e. building the Parthenon with its famous statue of Athene, etc...) started the Pelopponesian Wars? (Or is it JUST a solely Athenian treasury?)
i mean, i hope they do. this was originally a teaching video that I created for a course I taught at an Ivy League school. so, they should, it's great information from an actual archaeologist
As a Greek and walking daily between many different really magnificent ancient structures, it is hard to describe the awe you feel when walking through the Delphi site. Am absolutely amazing place, even in its current state.
Seeing this incredibly smart archaelogist having this small channel with videos posted in 2023 with a quality not better than my lame 2020 home made “vlogs” filmed on my phone it’s amazing!
Yes I'm amazed what I can find on this new phone I bought. Wow. 😊
Love the videos. Wish more scientist would share their research like this
thanks! These are teaching videos or conference lectures so far. I've got more of those to add, but also working on some content specifically for UA-cam, so keep your eye out!
I drove by myself from Athens to Delphi for a day trip. Just the most lovely place I've ever been to. I got so overwhelmed by it I called my wife in the States where it was 4am without thinking. Oops.
Hahaha, it's easy to be overwhelmed there
Flint, do more of these videos! City biographies are the best!
For sure, this is one of the best sites I've ever visited.
It looks like it would have been such a gorgeous sight, both in terms of landscape and in terms of the beauty captured by the everyday in a society so far away in time. It's simultaneously both easy and hard to imagine lifetimes once lived within these now crumbling stones. So beautiful and just fricken cool
great video. ive always wondered how the architects showed the constructors how and where to put the various materials. Were there blueprints? Were there written directions to explain the hows and whys of these massive buildings and walls? Would their be a copy at the quarry, one at the site, one at the architects' office, and one original to make sure people knew what to do? What would happen if the architect died? What would happen if the construction manager quit or died. If I had a plastic model to put together and only worked on it 1 day a week I would use the printed schematic or blueprint? What material did the Greeks use to draw these structures? thanks
What an adventure !
You talked about the architecture of the post-earthquake rebuild of the temple of apollo -- but got any info about its predecessor? When was it built? Was it also decorated with Apollo/Artemis/Dionysius/etc? Or was there some different pantheon? Was the site always associated with Apollo? I thought there was a myth that involved Apollo taking over the site from Gaia... kinda curious if there's any material evidence of that previous cult practice!
some good questions! We know there was an Archaic Temple built by the Athenian Alcmaeonid family in the 6th century BCE. It had 6x15 columns (so a very similar size as the 4th century temple whose remains we see today). It's a fairly well-known temple, with some evidence from foundations but mostly historical sources that mention it.
Anything earlier is somewhat mythological and unclear. The Roman traveler Pausanias mentions 3 earlier temples (the last was destroyed by fire, which caused the construction of the Archaic temple). But, really not much is known about them.
We certainly know it was an important site from at least the Geometric period, and there are even Bronze Age artifacts on a lower terrace near the later Temple of Athena.
Several deities were worshiped at Delphi, not just Apollo. But I wouldn't place too much stock into worship changing from Gaia to Apollo. Those myths aren't clear and don't line up with archaeological evidence in any solid fashion. Gaia, Pan, Athena, Apollo, and more had sacred areas in the landscape and worship structures at the sanctuary and in the surrounding landscape. Hope that helps!
To get a sense of how complicated Greek polytheism was, maybe give a read to this Twitter thread I wrote: twitter.com/FlintDibble/status/1013869173355708416
I've told numerous people about this page since I found it as this/you produce some quality videos.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Question: What is labelled at the start of your video as the "Treasury of the Athenians"... is that not rather the "Treasury of the Delian League", which, when the Athenians decided to move its contents to Athens to use for what Euripides referred to as, "Decking Athens out like a prostitute" (i.e. building the Parthenon with its famous statue of Athene, etc...) started the Pelopponesian Wars? (Or is it JUST a solely Athenian treasury?)
Excellent. Thanks for this.
Thanks!
at 15:14, it should say "antikensAmmlung", not "antikensummlung"
Why does look like a crystal.. thigh bones?
NO SCHOOL STUDENT IS USING THIS VIDEO TO STUDY?
i mean, i hope they do. this was originally a teaching video that I created for a course I taught at an Ivy League school. so, they should, it's great information from an actual archaeologist