It's quite amazing how much of the shrine of Delphi remains, given 2500 years of looting, earthquakes, harsh weather and general indifference. What you can see of the Temple of Apollo, where the famous oracle of Delphi resided, is mostly the foundation stones, and a few column erected from the rubble by archeologists and restoration experts who want to give you an idea of what it might have looked like in 400 BCE. A five minute walk up the road to the Delphi Museum will also give you a look at some of the artifacts that escaped the looters, mainly because they were buried underground by people who wanted to preserve them.
The main looter, if you want to call him that, was the Roman Emperor Nero, who allegedly carried off over 500 statues of Delphi to decorate his home, the Domus Aurea, in Rome. Unfortunately, they didn't survive there either.
Ah, you’ve made it to one of my most favorite places in Greece. The ancients knew how to pick a place to gather. As I understand it, this is where Gaia hung out before Apollo showed up and appropriated the place for himself. I hope you saw the Charioteer in the museum. He inspired me to write a poem about our encounter. Thanks for bringing me back here. Sandra
Yes, we did see the Charioteer. Fantastic. And I want to hear that poem about your encounter with that young man.
Seems to me Nero left the best part – the view!
Knowing Nero, if he could have carried it off, he would have. He was certainly among the worst of the megalomaniac Roman emperors.