Mystery Of The Delphi Oracle Prophecies: Was Pythia On Drugs While Guiding Ancient Greek Civilization For Thousands Of Years?

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - There are many beautiful ancient ruins we can admire in Greece, a country that is rich in history and culture. Among them are the so-called oracles, where priests and priestesses were believed to have received guidance from gods in the form of signs or messages that served as prophecies.

The temple of Apollo (the center of the Delphi oracle and Pythia) dated to the 4th century BC. Image credit: Helen Simonsson  -  CC BY-SA 3.0

When ancient Greeks and Romans had to make decisions, they consulted the gods. It could be done by drawing lots, casting dice, interpreting dreams, and analyzing such signs as sneezes, thunderbolts, and flying birds. However, when dealing with matters of the utmost importance, they sought to hear the words of the gods in the mouths of oracles.

As in many other ancient civilizations, priests and priestesses played an essential role in ancient Greece.

Great oracles and their priests became hugely important centers, visited by both individuals and city-states whenever there was a wish to acquire a divine connection.

One of the most famous oracles is that of Apollo at Delphi and Zeus at Dodona.

At the Oracle of Delphi, Pythia, the sanctuary's priestess, was seated in a state of trance, speaking on behalf of the gods delivering her prophecies and advising rulers, citizens, and philosophers on everything from their sex lives to affairs of state.

One aspect of the ancient Oracle at Delphi, which has fascinated scholars, scientists, and many ordinary people alike, is the nature and cause of the trance state attained by Pythia.

Numerous classical authors report that natural phenomena played an essential part in one of their most sacred religious rituals: the oracle at Delphi.

According to early ancient writers, people believed that it led into the underworld hundreds of years before the Temple at Delphi was first discovered by goat herders. Goat herders observed that their goats were acting crazy at this spot; when they were there, they had visions and premonitions.

Modern scientists were skeptical of the accounts and dismissed the ancient Greeks' explanation for the oracle's inspiration, vapors rising from the Temple's floor. Scholars rejected this explanation because archaeologists at the site of the Temple could not locate a chasm or detect gaseous emissions.

However, a group of scientists, archaeologists, and science historians discovered that the ancients were correct. In his book titled The Oracle, science historian William Broad and his scientist team prove the existence of the crossed fault lines and the presence of an intoxicating gas called ethylene in the rocks below the ancient Temple.

Like Walking the Bible, this fascinating book turns a modern eye on an enduring legend. The Oracle of Delphi was one of the most influential figures in ancient Greece.

A gripping modern-day detective story about the scientific quest to understand the Oracle of Delphi

Human mistress of the god Apollo, she had the power to enter into ecstatic communion with him and deliver his prophecies to men. Thousands of years later, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William J. Broad follows a crew of enterprising researchers as they sift through the evidence of history, geology, and archaeology to reveal—as far as science is able—the source of her visions.  Read more

The team discovered that the oracle probably came under the influence of ethylene, a sweet-smelling gas once used as an anesthetic. In light doses, it produces feelings of aloof euphoria.

The presence of hydrocarbon gases can induce a narcotic state similar to that recorded from the trance state of Pythia.

So basically, it would mean Pythia was on drugs when she delivered the messages from the gods. Some researchers are not convinced that the intoxicating gas was rising below the ancient temple answers all questions.

The main objection against the ethylene theory is that it does not answer why only the priestess was affected by these toxic gases. Another point is that the quest to find what exactly put the priestess of Apollo at Delphi into a trance ignores the fact that her altered state may have been self-induced, perhaps to give the impression of objectivity when answering inquiries.

It has been repeatedly stated that Pythia rambled incoherent gibberish when in her trance, which had to be interpreted and reshaped into prophecies by the priests. However, American classical scholar Joseph Fontenrose (1903-1986), who spent many years researching the ancient mystery of Pythia, writes in his book The Delphic Oracle, Its Responses and Operations that Pythia's replies were no ramblings at all. According to Fontenrose, who examined several ancient texts, Pythia spoke with a clear voice and gave perfectly understandable replies. Fontenrose concluded there is a misconception about how the prophecies were delivered.

So, it seems we still have not entirely solved the ancient mystery of the Oracle at Delphi, and we do not know if Pythia was on drugs when she guided the ancient Greek civilizations for thousands of years. Further scientific studies of the ancient site might bring us closer to the truth.

Written by Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on September 13, 2022

Copyright © AncientPages.com This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com