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Published: August 9th 2007
Thiva to Delphi
Delphi For economy’s sake, and just because it makes more sense, I’ve combined my experiences from four days here, starting the day after my first trip to Orchomenos.
The next morning (the 6th) I got up early in the morning and went over and over the information I had on the palace of Orchomenos. There is in fact evidence of a palace near the grounds of the present Byzantine church and monastery of Panagea Skripou. But where? The accounts I had were conflicting and none of them very specific. Nonetheless, armed with this knowledge, I elected to return to Orchomenos. That is after I visited the Mycenaean tholos tombs in Thiva.
The two tombs which can still be visited are in the Lofos Kasteli (known in most guidebooks and websites as Meghali Kastelli Hill) east of the Kadmeia. I visited them in the morning around 9am, and there wasn’t a soul around, although I doubt most Thivans would have known what I was talking about anyway. In talking with people in Thiva, where the modern town is built directly atop the ruins of the old city, I’ve observed that for them, archaeology is something of a nuisance. Anytime someone tears down
a building, or buys land to build a home or business, the Ephoria (the agency charged with excavating and conserving archaeological remains in a given district) must be called before one can build. The process is really tremendously unfair to the landowner. Their land is “neutralized,” meaning no new structures can be built on it until the Ephoria okays it. Meanwhile, there is no compensation to the landowner for the time lost. So it’s certainly understandable how a Greek could have a love-hate (or just hate-hate) relationship with their heritage, or at least with the Ephoria. Obviously I'm in favor of advancing the cause of archaeology, but there needs to be a more equitable system.
Anyway, off the soapbox and on with the story. I visited the tholos tomb in the Kasteli hill and was pleasantly surprised to find two men with weed-whackers making a valiant effort to make the overgrown hill look presentable. The tombs themselves were rather unkempt and the larger of the two was apparently a hotspot for heroine addicts as evidenced by the numerous syringes strewn about. The first tomb did have a distinctive dual-dromos, meaning that it had a path leading up and another leading
away, whereas most tholos tombs have only a single dromos. Apparently the tombs were frescoed, but the frescoes themselves have been removed (hopefully to the museum). There was also a niche in the wall and a bench along the back wall where, presumably, the body would have been laid out.
Later that morning, I returned to Orchomenos, in search of the elusive Mycenaean palace. This trip didn’t yield much more evidence than I had found previously, but I did find some ruins that the groundskeeper couldn’t quite explain. The church and monastery of Panagea Skripou is apparently built atop the ruins of not one but two ancient buildlings. First the Bronze Age palace, of which very little remains, and second, an ancient temple of the Charites (or the Three Graces). Orchomenos in ancient times was the cult center of the Charites, though little remains of the temple except for the column capitals that have been incorporated into the church of Panagea Skripou. Despite my affinity for the Pre-Christian world, I have to say the Panagea Skripou is really a lovely church and is apparently a very central part of life in the community of Orchomenos as evidenced by the deference
of the townspeople toward it.
The trip wasn’t a total wash though. I did get to see Aleka and Evgenia again, though Kostas was nowhere to be found. I visited with them briefly before returning to Livadia. I wish that I could convince myself that I’ll be able to return one day and see them again.
By then, the day was gone, and my plans for Delphi had to wait for the next day. I set out early the next morning, but found getting to Delphi would be no easy matter. I first took the train to Livadia, if only for a change from the bus. The train is actually cheaper than the bus, but you have to wait twice as long, and the train stations (in Livadia and Thiva) are far from the center of town. I finally arrived in Livadia and endured 2 hours worth of runaround trying to find out where the bus stop was for Delphi. No one seemed to know. Finally, I sat at a stop (conveniently located at an outdoor café) having a frappe with a man named Panagiotis. He wasn’t going anywhere, just hanging out at the café. At one point a bus
to Arachova came. I vaguely remembered something about a connection between Arachova and Delphi, and started to get the bus, but Panagioti stopped me saying, “Ohi, ohi! Then ine!” and I sat back down. Ten minutes later, no other bus came, and I reiterated my belief that that was in fact the bus I was meant to take. Panagioti then got up and walked around the corner to check the schedule and returned about 5 minutes later with his late model Saab and beckoned me to get in. I asked where we were going and he said “Sti Delphous.” Apparently that had been the right bus, and he felt so bad for making me miss it he drove me all the way to Delphi, about 45 minutes away. When we got there I thanked him profusely and got out to go to the museum.
The museum was quite lovely. It didn’t have a great deal of Pre-Classical finds, but it did have a primo collection of Psi figurines. I absolutely love those. The museum also had a couple of shields that may have come from Crete. Of course Delphi, being the seat of the main oracle, received contributions from all
over the ancient world, including Thrace, Lydia, Phrygia, and Egypt. Of course, they also have the well-known Classical, Hellenistic and Roman sculpture which once adorned the numerous buildings on the hill.
The site itself was fantastic of course. The buildings are mostly very fragmentary, yet somehow the essence of the place is preserved. Also the fact that the hill was crowded with tourists (while somewhat frustrating at times) reflects the history of the sanctuary as a place where people from all over the world came to seek the advice of the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo. I did manage to get some great shots of the temple proper, the theater and the Athena Pronaia below. Someone later told me it was actually against the rules to photograph the site. I think they’d have one hell of a time enforcing such a rule, and I didn’t see anyone attempting to do so.
One rather exciting thing (to me at least) that happened was that I made my very first archaeological find. I was going along the walkway above the gymnasium when I happened upon a largish curved piece of pottery with markings on it. I called the museum and they weren’t
really bothered about it, but they told me to bring it there so I did. The guy there said it might be part of a pythos jar or something (probably their tenth one that day). But it was very exciting for me.
Unfortunately in all the excitement, I missed the last bus for Livadia. This meant I had to get a hotel room in Delphi for 30 euros, which isn’t bad for high season. I walked into a jewelry store down the block called Apollon where I met a really nice American woman named Sharain who is married to a local Greek man. We chatted for a long while and compared notes about our experiences with the respective Greek men in our lives. I went back the next morning hoping to speak to her again but the shop wasn’t open.
The next morning, I took the bus to Livadia, where I met an older couple from New Zealand, who had the coolest accents ever, and a spirited young Athenian woman named Aphrodite who had come up to Delphi to see some performances of some ancient Greek plays. I sat next to Aphrodite on the bus to Livadia and she talked
about how much she wanted to come to New York to study acting and performing. We also talked for a long while about her feelings about Greece and being surrounded by all these ancient sites etc. She said that for Greeks, the ruins were so commonplace that, regrettably, she believed they weren’t properly appreciated and cared for, all of which absolutely rings true with my experiences thus far. She and I exchanged contact info and parted ways in Livadia.
I wanted to walk around Livadia for a while, since this was my sixth pass through Livadia and I had yet to see the town, or the local museum. I soon found out that the museum was closed for renovation, and apparently had been for some time. I also attempted to visit the site of the Oracle of Trophonius, which was in operation in pre-Classical times, but those ruins were nowhere to be found, no doubt covered over by urban sprawl. The only piece of this hallowed spot that remains to be seen is what the locals call “Pyges Krya,” a cold, clear spring, known in the old days to the suppliants of Trophonius as “The Pool of Memory.” The springs
and surrounding buildings were quite a draw. During the time I was there I saw two different wedding parties come there to take pictures. I sat for a long while with my feel in the brook and I have to admit it was quite relaxing, especially on such a hot day.
Later that day I returned to Thiva to find the entire city looking like a ghost town. This was Sunday in Greece. A usually lively market town was now all but deserted and eerily quiet. All the shops and most of the cafes were closed. Of course it’s possible some of the more respectable citizens were at home nursing hangovers from the night before.
More soon. My internet situation isn't ideal but I'm coping as best I can.
Enjoy the pictures.
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Mom
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Kyra Springs...What's in that Water?
This place looks beautiful and inviting....but in pix 42 it looks like you have grown an extra toe or two. DO NOT sit down in the water.