A view of the Altar of the Chians before the Temple of Apollo. The main attraction of Delphi and seat of the Delphic Oracle, the Temple of Apollo was an imposing and magnificent structure overlooking the rest of the Sanctuary.
View of the Temple of Apollo behind the Altar of the Chians. The temple was the seat of the Delphic Oracle and center of cult worship. Situated near the top of the Sanctuary, it overlooks and imposes down over the Sacred Way and the numerous treasuries and dedications to Apollo. The first temple here dates from the 7th century BCE, and after it burned down, the Alcmaeonids, a wealthy Athenian family in exile, replaced and expanded it around 510. The Alcmaeonid temple, also known as the Archaic temple, was destroyed along with so much of Delphi in the earthquake of 373, after which the temple seen here was constructed from 366-329. The large columns, made from poros stone, were originally covered with shining marble stucco. The altar was built alongside or shortly after the Alcmaeonid temple, and after the earthquake an exact replica was made to replace it. The altar seen in the image is a reconstruction dating from 1959.
Creation date unknown. Photograph processed July 1978. Notes written on the slide or index: Altar of Apollo.
