Lycurgus Some early oracular statements from Delphi may have been delivered to
Lycurgus, the semi-legendary
Spartan lawgiver (fl. 8th century BC). According to the report by
Herodotus (
Histories A.65, 2–4), Lycurgus visited and consulted the oracle before he applied his new laws to Sparta, Some say that the Pythia also declared to him the constitution that now exists at Sparta, but the Lacedaemonians themselves say that Lycurgus brought it from Crete when he was guardian of his nephew Leobetes, the Spartan king. Both Xenophon and Plutarch also attribute to Lycurgus the introduction of a very cumbersome coinage made from iron (in order to prevent attachment to wealth). In the account of Plutarch and
Diodorus, this was also based on an oracular statement, The supposed oracular statement
in retrospect was interpreted as being fulfilled, as the gold and silver Sparta's soldiers sent home after the
Peloponnesian War were to prove to be Sparta's undoing, according to Plutarch. It is not likely that this oracle was delivered, if it is at all historical, to Lycurgus himself, as
coinage had not been introduced in his time.
630 BC In 630 BC, the king of the island of
Thera went to Delphi to offer a gift on behalf of his native city, and was told by the oracle: Because the king did not know where Libya was, he did nothing. Thera was later affected by drought, the Therans again approached the oracle who said: Following the advice of the oracle, the Therans sought advice from the
Cretans as to where Libya was and a colony of Thera was established at
Platea. But bad luck still followed them for another two years, so they visited the oracle a third time. She said: The Therans sought advice from the local Libyans who gave them a new site, and the colony prospered.
595 BC In 595 BC, the affairs of the Oracle were felt too important to be left to the Delphians alone, and the sanctity of the site came to be protected by the
Amphictyonic League, a league of 12 cities in existence since 1100 BC. In that year, nearby
Kirra levied a toll on pilgrims, which ushered in the
First Sacred War. After 5 years of struggle, the Oracle decreed that the site of Kirra be left fallow, sacred to
Apollo. This ushered in a period of great prosperity.
594 BC In 594 BC,
Solon, the Athenian lawgiver, seeking to capture the island of
Salamis from
Megara and
Cirrha was told by the oracle: He did, and taking as volunteers 500 young Athenians whose ancestors came from
Salamis, was successful in capturing the island that was to prove so important in later Athenian history. Solon never ceased to support and give credit to the oracle for its support in declaring the island was originally Ionian. In framing his famous constitutional reforms for Athens, Solon again sought the advice of the oracle who told him: As a result, Solon refused the opportunity to become a revolutionary
tyrant, and created a constitution for which he, and Athens, were justly honoured. Through trial by
jury, a
graduated tax system and the forgiveness of debts he prevented a growing gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots". But he refused to accept the
confiscations of the
property of the rich, so creating an Athenian
middle class. He secured an Oath from the Athenian Council of
Magistrates that if they violated these laws, they would dedicate a gold statue to the Oracle of Delphi of equal weight to themselves.
560 BC In 560 BC,
Croesus of
Lydia, in a trial of oracles, consulted all the famous oracles as to what he was doing on an appointed day. According to Herodotus, the oracle proclaimed: Delphi was declared the winner. Croesus then asked if he should make war on the
Persians and if he should take to himself any allied force. The oracles to whom he sent this question included those at Delphi and Thebes. Both oracles gave the same response, that if Croesus made war on the Persians, he would destroy a mighty empire. They further advised him to seek out the most powerful Greek peoples and make alliance with them. Croesus paid a high fee to the Delphians and then sent to the oracle asking "Would his monarchy last long?" The Pythia answered: Croesus thought it impossible that a
mule should be king of the
Medes and thus believed that he and his issue would never be out of power. He thus decided to make common cause with certain Greek city-states and attack Persia. In Bacchylides' ode, composed for Hiero of Syracuse, who won the chariot race at Olympia in 468, Croesus with his wife and family mounted the funeral pyre, but before the flames could envelop the king, he was snatched up by
Apollo and spirited away to the
Hyperboreans. Herodotus' version includes Apollo in more "realistic" mode: Cyrus, repenting of the immolation of Croesus, could not put out the flames until Apollo intervened.
circa 550 BC In his biography of Pythagoras in his
Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers,
Diogenes Laërtius (3rd century AD) cites the statement of
Aristoxenus (4th century BC) that
Themistoclea taught Pythagoras his
moral doctrines:
Porphyry (233–305 AD) calls her Aristoclea (
Aristokleia), although there is little doubt that he is referring to the same person. Porphyry repeats the claim that she was the teacher of Pythagoras:
Herodotus at 1.66 in his history of the Persian Wars reports that the Spartans consulted Delphi about their plans to invade the lands of their neighbors, the Arcadians and their city of Tegea. The Pythia replied:
circa 525 BC Herodotus states that during the time of the founding of the
Siphnian Treasury, the Siphnians were told: ==Classical Period==