The Shrine at Delphi: Communing with the Gods

• provide a detailed definition of the term oracle.
• provide a detailed description (geographical, architectural, etc.) of the site of Delphi.
• recognize the maxims inscribed on the facade of Apollo's temple and discuss their significance.
• recount the myth which locates Delphi at the exact center of the earth's surface, and explain how this myth "validated the priestly institution of prophecy."
• discuss the ancient tradition—and modern archeological evidence—which claims that a cleft in the rocks at Delphi emitted intoxicating fumes.

Apollo's Prehistory

• link the term Paian (or Paion) to Apollo's prehistory.
• discuss Apollo's role as educator of young men and eternal ephebe.

Apollo and the Dragon: The Transition from Earth Goddess to Sky God

After studying this section of the chapter you should be able to discuss the transition from a matriarchal to a patriarchal divine hierarchy as depicted in the myth of Apollo and the dragon.

Apollo's Birth

• discuss Leto's many tribulations at the hands of Hera.
• describe how Apollo transforms his birthplace into the Island of Delos.

Festivals and Ceremonies of Delphi

• trace the origin of the Pythian Games to Apollo's slaying of Python.
• discuss Apollo's "paradigm of expiation for mortals who seek to purify themselves."
• discuss Delphi's function as a holy asylum.
• describe the rite of the Stepterion drama.
• describe the procedure followed by those applying to ask questions of the Pythia.
• describe the procedure followed by the Pythia in contacting the oracle.
• draw on the examples of Croesus and Themistocles to demonstrate the ambiguity of the oracles.
• identify the role of the oracle in Sophocles' Oedipus plays.
• discuss the historical impetus for the decline of Delphi's prestige.

Apollo's Loves

• relate the stories of Apollo's many unfulfilled loves.
• recount the story of Asclepius's birth, and explain why Zeus ultimately strikes him down with a thunderbolt.