Dating back to
1400 BC, the Oracle of Delphi was the most important shrine in all Greece , and in
theory all Greeks respected its independence. Built around a sacred spring, Delphi was considered to be the omphalos - the center
(literally navel) of the world.
People came from
all over Greece
and beyond to have their questions about the future answered by the Pythia, the
priestess of Apollo. And her answers, usually cryptic, could determine the
course of everything from when a farmer planted his seedlings, to when an
empire declared war.