Roman Fountain at the Castalian Spring

Abstract

View of the Roman Fountain built at the Castalian Spring. The spring has been a place of worship for centuries, and visitors to the site would bathe in the water before visiting Delphi.

Description

The Roman Fountain, also called the Later Fountain, constructed in the 1st century BCE on the Castalian Spring. Earlier fountains have been found from the 5th and 7th centuries, but this is the most well preserved and famous one. It was customary that religious visitors to Delphi would bathe in the spring waters before entering, and since Roman times it has been believed that the spring inspired the muse of poetry. The niches carved into the rock once held offerings to the nymph Castalia, and were later turned into Christian shrines. The basin at the bottom was used to collect the water, and itself overflowed into some larger basins downhill.

Image Notes

Creation date unknown. Photograph processed July 1978. Notes written on the slide or index: Delphi - The Later Castilian Fountain.

Identifier DH.021
Collection DH: Delphi
Location Delfoi, Greece
Year 1978
Batch Stamp JUL 78
Printed Date July, 1978
Slide Notes Delphi - The Later Castilian Fountain
Index Notes Later Castilian Fountain
MarkerMarkerMarker
General Location Castalian Spring at Delphi
Camera Location Roman Fountain at Castalian Spring
Precision Possible
Angle 25 degrees NE