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Delphi: In search of the ancient roads

“Archaeologists, foreign tourists, seek at Delphi the Doric Hneochos, the ghost of Pythia, the treasure of the Athenians. We are always greeted there by the shadow of Sicilianus. Unfortunately his presence is not felt, except by those who are already informed…
The poet’s house, which, if it became a museum, could introduce the locals and especially foreigners to the intellectual life of modern Greece, presents the sad spectacle of abandonment and collapse…”
This, among other things, is what the wife of the poet Kostas Ouranis, Eleni, well-known under the literary pseudonym Alkis Thrylos, wrote in 1963 about Sicilianos and Delphi.

Text: Θεόφιλος Μπασγιουράκης
Photos: Άννα Καλαϊτζή
Delphi: In search of the ancient roads
Categories: Activities
Destinations: CENTRAL GREECE, Fokida

“Archaeologists, foreign tourists, seek at Delphi the Doric Hneochos, the ghost of Pythia, the treasure of the Athenians. We are always greeted there by the shadow of Sicilianus. Unfortunately his presence is not felt, except by those who are already informed…

The poet’s house, which, if it became a museum, could introduce locals and especially foreigners to the intellectual life of modern Greece, presents the sad spectacle of abandonment and collapse…”

This, among other things, is what the wife of the poet Kostas Ouranis, Eleni, well-known under the literary pseudonym Alkis Thrylos, wrote in 1963 about Sicilianos and Delphi (1). Today, the house of Angelos and Eva Sikelianos on the battlements of Delphi no longer presents a picture of abandonment and collapse, it is now a museum. Near it we can see the small yellow sign with the characteristic EA sign. For most people, this signage simply refers to another part of the large network of European paths. But for those who were fortunate enough to wander on the tours of Pausanias (2), this path, like some others, still exudes the aura of the countless ancient pilgrims who walked it to reach the sacred site of Delphi.

The footsteps of the great traveller, almost 19 centuries after him, we expect to discover in the lands of Delphi. Our valuable companions are Apostolos Hadjidemou, communication officer of the Municipality of Delphi and our good friend, traveller and nature lover, Kostas Zarokostas.

 

After several years, we find ourselves back in Delphi, “a sacred place of ancient Greece, which, whether we look to religion, history or art, not only arouses lively interest but also generates genuine emotion”. (3)

We have never been able to avoid this emotion, no matter how many times we have come to Delphi. Regardless, of course, if the image of the modern settlement does not match the imposing simplicity and historicity of the place. If, however, we arm ourselves with patience and pass through the succession of lodgings and shops with their opulent shops, we will be compensated in no time. For, in the words of Karouzos, ‘the Delphic landscape is not just any mountainous landscape on the slopes of Parnassus. But its special character, how unique its own physiognomy is, we see and feel it only after we reach and enter its enclosed area and stand in its heart, this ‘rough valley’, according to the Homeric hymn… And if today the place keeps us in constant excitement and admiration, we understand how many completely special feelings it created in those people who set out from the other side of Greece and arrived here with their soul in their mouths, to listen to what was in store for them or to ask God for advice”.

It was exactly this presence of Apollo and the importance that the ancient Greeks attributed to the God that gave Delphi its overall prosperity and fame.

“The history of Delphi is nothing but the history of the Delphic sanctuary. On its own, the city of Delphi would be completely unimportant. It was a tiny state, which even in the 4thth century, in the time of Philip, had about 700 free citizens with the right to vote. They reason, therefore, that the permanent population of Delphi would not have been much larger than today’s “Kastri”. In fact, this state almost completely lacked the material conditions for development. Indeed, the city of Delphi alone would never have been a force to be reckoned with. But for this very reason the historical importance which this place acquired, which Greece was upset many times for its sake and was associated with the greatest events in Greek history, is an amazing example of an organisation which suddenly springs up almost on its own, starts from nothing, never acquires any material strength of its own and yet its moral strength becomes enormous.(4)

But what roads did the thousands of ancient pilgrims follow, how did they reach the sacred site of Delphi? Initially from the east, ascending from Boeotia and then descending from Arachova, the road that Apollo himself followed according to the Homeric hymn, when he first came to Delphi. It is the famous ‘Schist Street’ of Pausanias, which is also mentioned by the same name in Sophocles’ ‘Oedipus the tyrant’. The other road is from the south and west, from the Corinthian Gulf, from where, according to the same hymn, the priests of the god Apollo, the Cretans, ascended. Finally, a third route to Delphi was the ancient uphill path leading to the heights of Parnassus and the famous “Korykion antron”.

We note, therefore, that although barren, the place of Delphi was located on or near a major crossroads, with access to NE and E Sterea, to N and D Sterea and, very easily, to the opposite N Peloponnese. According to Karouzos (5) ‘the ancients themselves felt early on the importance of this central position, which is so favourable for the communication of people and the daybreak of the land. This feeling is reflected in the legend of the ‘navel of the earth’, which is Delphi. The symbol of this belief of the ancients was the “stone navel” that was erected inside the temple of Apollo and others found in excavations outside the sanctuary.

The favourable geographical location of the oracle is of course a factor worthy of attention. But even this can only be regarded as a subsidiary cause. It is impossible that this alone can explain the development of the sanctuary into a panhellenic focus and then into a global one. The proof is sketchy. There were in the same place at a distance of half an hour or an hour, as early as 2000 B.C., two important settlements, Krissa and its stairway on the Corinthian, or Kirra. These are situated right on the crossroads and their land is incomparably richer. They had therefore much more favourable conditions for their considerable development. And yet, not only did neither of them become the Panhellenic centre, but in a short time both were wiped out precisely because of the Delphic Sanctuary. Most of their fertile land (6) was condemned to remain “slow”, bare, to be the sanctuary of the god. And the reason is, that the god did not love them but “struck down” Pytho, the “rough valley” of Delphi. So it was not the geographical location, the “navel,” so to speak, that drew the god to Delphi, but the god made those rocks the “navel of the earth.” So the god Apollo and his sanctuary is the main cause of the history of Delphi, which makes us, as it did the ancients, the impression of an inexplicable miracle.”

The immense, timeless glamour that Delphi exudes increases our desire to locate and walk on the ancient roads that led to the Sanctuary.

 

HEADING FOR KRISSA AND KIRRA

 

As modern “Pausanias” we start our tour first from the path that connected Delphi with Krissa and Kirra. We locate its starting point under the pension “Odysseas”, at the southern end of the settlement. The path descends from the last houses through almond trees. After 5 minutes we meet a signpost on a rock and head left. Already dominating the S-SW horizon is the long, narrow mountain range of Kirfis, with its modern name of Kedrias. The vast olive grove stretches low, while in the Corinthian Sea, Itea and Galaxidi loom in an almost straight line. Further down we meet a small iconostasis and continue left. The path essentially descends, following the successive levels of the terraces of the almond grove below Delphi.

Traces of an ancient cobblestone are beginning to appear, becoming more and more distinct. It is impossible not to feel a thrill at the sight of the first stones, rounded by the thousands of feet that have crawled over them over the centuries, heading towards the sacred site of Delphi. If we had no idea of the historicity of the place, we would simply be content to walk along a wide, gently sloping path, which, despite the stones, is easily passable. Now, knowing the age and use of the stones, our walk takes on another dimension, a mental journey into the past.

In half an hour with a relaxed pace we meet a modern, “watery” road in front of us. It is the deep concrete canal, which starts from the Mornos dam and with a natural slope, after a long route, channels the precious water into Lake Yliki. Heading W-SW we follow the gravel road parallel to the canal for about 100 meters. Then we cross the canal with a concrete bridge and continue in the same direction. The naked pyramid of Giona, which at an altitude of 2,510 m is the fifth highest in the country, looms to the W-NW.

Our contact with the past is temporarily interrupted, we walk on asphalt. An elegant sign of the Forestry Department of Amfissa orients us towards the ancient path of Kirra. Heading towards the settlement of Chrissos (7), we find the well-maintained stone path again, with many spots of untouched ancient cobblestone path. We pass in front of the stone chapel of Agios Haralambos. Immediately afterwards the path turns into a narrow, concrete-paved lane, which in two minutes leads to the first houses of Chrissos. So far, at a leisurely pace, we haven’t gone over an hour.

We temporarily suspend the exploration of the ancient road and spend some time getting to know Chrissos. The walk through the streets and alleys of the amphitheatrical settlement is pleasant and very interesting. Here in front of us is the imposing church of Evaggelistria with its twin bell tower and excellent masonry, built after the earthquake of 1870. A dilapidated brick building looms through vines, wild and untidy. Further down rises the neoclassical building of impressive architecture, once the School, which is to house the cultural area of Chrissos. Behind it is a large uninhabited brick building of the 19thth century. The images alternate with a towering chimney, built with solid bricks. The lower part is of heavy masonry, with stones in the corners carved. At over 10 metres high, it is an excellent example of industrial architecture. Similar chimneys were used in the three mills of the village, the “Cooperative”, the “Kalogeriko” and the “Dimitrios”. From these chimneys came the smoke from the burning of the olive kernel, which heated the water in a large boiler. The millstone was then set in motion and the oil extraction press was operated by pistons.

It would require an exclusive article to include and present, as they deserve, all the peculiarities of the settlement of Chrissos, the churches, the squares, the excellent neoclassical and old brick buildings, all these elements that fully justify its characterization as a “traditional settlement”.

We treat ourselves to a cup of coffee and a relaxing stop at the central square, with the sound of the water running with a rich flow from a twin spigot. Then we hit the road again. On the right side of the road we are greeted by a rare monument of road construction, an old stone mileage marker, showing 176 km to Athens. Outside the S-SW end of the village, in front of a large brick building, we find again the well-known sign of the Forestry Department of Amfissa and a sign of archaeology towards the Prehistoric Acropolis. We enter a nice dirt path crossing an olive grove. Further down we meet a white iconostasis on our right. In 10 minutes we are in the wider area of ancient Krissa. The scenery is spectacular, a rugged place, ending in the SE in terrible vertical cliffs, above the valley with the lovely olive grove and the ancient chapel of St. Nicholas the Young, just visible in the olive trees.

“The Homeric city of Chrissa (8) is now identified in the long-known prehistoric remains, which are located immediately south of the present village of Chrisso… The French archaeological school of Athens has carried out limited but quite enlightening research. The prehistoric site is located to the southwest of the small church of St. George. The oldest settlement can be dated, from the finds, to the Middle Helladic period. This settlement seems to have been destroyed by fire, but at the beginning of the Mycenaean period there was a remarkable town, which was fortified on the non-steep slopes of the hill with a wall whose remains are still preserved. This fortified city was at its height during the Trojan War. No historical finds are known in Krissa, and it seems that the site was abandoned in favour of the coastal town of Kirra…

Pausanias does not distinguish Krissa from Kirra and believes that the city was one, the coastal one, which was called Kirra in his days, while in Homeric times, Krissa. Strabo, by contrast, knows Chrissa as a “different city”.

The path passes in front of the old and beautifully architectural chapel of St. George. Its strong masonry, however, bears a distinct crack from the top of the entrance to the roof, apparently a remnant of the great earthquake of the 19thth century in the area.

Sitting in the shade of the church we admire the evocative landscape around us, a stunning composition of nature with sea, plain and towering mountains. The olive grove of Itea stretches low. In this plain has always been the Pythian Hippodrome. Formerly near it was the Stadium, but after the middle of the 5thth century BC the gymnastic games had begun to take place in the area above the Theatre of Delphi.(9)

On our path again. We pass by burial complexes. To the W-NW the city of Amfissa looks like a sheltered embrace, in the same straight line as the pyramid of Giona. The Apostle stops in front of a beautiful sapling with small, still greenish fruits.

– It’s a great experience to pick and use these fruits when they ripen, says our friend.

– And what is the result of their use?We ask him.

– But, of course, black pepper, which we use in food. The tree you see is a native pepper tree, which is not rare in the surrounding area.

We descend from the hill towards the olive grove of Itea. All around us ancient stone walls of dark grey limestone. We hear sweet-sounding bells of sheep and goats, roaming freely, unaccompanied by dog or shepherd. Slowly we are coming out of the boundaries of the ancient citadel of Krissa. Here were the first “tolls” paid by pilgrims to continue on to Delphi. Immediately below, the path stops, a dirt road begins, crossing the olive grove. With an area of several thousand acres and almost one and a half million olive roots, the olive grove of Amfissa is considered the most extensive homogeneous olive grove in Greece. Too many trees are century-old with surprisingly massive and imposing trunks. Their great height hides the roads in between from a distance, so that the olive grove gives the impression of being perfectly compact.

It is a real pleasure to walk among these huge trees that have lived for so many centuries. The whole olive grove is watered by an amazing network of irrigation channels, managed by “watermen”, special employees paid by the municipality. The properties are not delimited from each other by fences, but by ‘draffia’, low earthen mounds that resemble a giant and continuous earthen grid.

We come across the Forestry Office sign with the direction of the trail, an iconostasis, some rural houses, a huge cypress tree and a stone spring of cool water. We are already on the E4 trail. Later we come across another stone spring. At 1.9 km the dirt road ends and the asphalt road begins. After 200 metres we turn left, following the bed of the Pleistos river and always parallel to the foothills of the rocky Kedria. A little later we reach the main network, cross it vertically, leave the archaeological site of Kirra on our right and after a few hundred meters we reach the beach of the modern settlement of Kirra. Walking on ancient or new paths, on rural roads or asphalt roads, sometimes clearly marked and sometimes unclear, we manage to complete – with the inevitable deviations – the ancient road from Kirra to the sacred site of Delphi. A relaxing route, with rich alternations of historical sites and landscapes, which, depending on the pace one follows, does not exceed 3-4 hours in total.

On the beach of Kirra stands the Coastal Medieval Tower, a square, sturdy structure with large chipped stones and a height of almost 4 meters. Next to it are the … “Falkland’s”, an ouzo restaurant by the sea, ideal for a little reconstruction with a view of the peaceful waters of the Corinthian Sea. After “Falkland’s” we pop in for a coffee at the cafeteria … “Miami”. The vast distances of the American continent have been annihilated in Kirra.

With renewed strength we take the road to Desfina (and Athens).The afternoon program foresees another path, newer than the ancient one of Kirra but definitely old. It is the spectacular winding route, descending from Kedria to the olive grove of Delphi. Just before Desfina we turn left onto a dirt road. At 3,8 km we meet the sign of the Forestry Office with the indication: ‘Kochran Trail – Bridges’. We continue along the rough stone road, unsuitable for conventional cars, and at 7.1 km from the asphalt road we finish at the top of Kedria. From the modest altitude of 852 metres we can see everything. And first opposite us, Delphi, perched on its rugged mountainside. The last houses seem to balance on the edge of a terrible rocky cliff, plunging vertically down to the olive grove, with a height of more than 300 metres. Above Delphi, the stone manoeuvres of the “Skala”, the ancient path that led to Korikeio Andros, can be seen. To the right of Delphi, the ‘Faidriades’, which form the deep and steep gorge with the famous ‘Kastalia fountain’. And high above, on the skyline, the peaks of Mount Parnassus stand in a row, covered with fir trees at first and then bare. The first and highest is “Liakura”, with a height of 2,455 metres. To the west of it is Gerontovrachos, with 2,389. East of it, the “Mavra Litharia”, with 2,326 metres, above Arachova. Our field of vision is completed by Arachova, Amfissa and the pyramid of Giona. We are thus pinned down for an hour on the top of Kedria, and we reluctantly decide to leave this extravaganza.

We return to the sign. The starting point of the trail is a bit unclear, but no matter how much one strays, one will definitely find the shallow gully with the distinct outline after a few minutes. The trail then winds its way through rough limestone terrain, overgrown with holly, cedar and sparse cedar trees. The slopes are initially gentle, but later become steeper. To retain the soil on the steep slopes, large sections are built up with good dry stone. The difference in the quality of construction shows us clearly which parts of the masonry are modern and which are old. The art of the old masons remains unsurpassed.

The continuous descent, with steep inclines in some turns, combined with the long morning walk, results in the first symptoms of muscle strain. We relax the pace somewhat and finally, in 1 hour and 20 minutes, we reach the concrete bridge of the Pleistos River, with its bed dry from the months of drought. We start crossing the olive grove of Delphi. In the enclosed valley the daylight is gone. Before darkness envelops us, we are relieved to see the headlights of the car coming to pick us up. We, at least, compared to the ancient travellers, have the luxury of travelling uphill to Delphi.

 

IN THE KORYKIO CAVE

 

“The ascent to the Korykio cave is easier for a hiker and not for those using mules and horses.” (10) This is what Pausanias wrote in his “Phocci” after his experience of ascending the Korykio cave. Of course, we did not intend to use a horse or mule either. But even the ‘easiest’ ascent on foot meant covering an altitude difference of about 900 metres from Delphi, since the cave is located at an altitude of 1360 metres. We therefore decide to make the route a little easier by making it on the descent.

– It will be my pleasure to accompany you to the Korykio Grotto, says the Mayor of Delphi Panagiotis Kaltsis.

From Arachova we ascend to the highlands of “Livadi”, where the former “Huts of Arachova” have been developing in recent years with explosive residential rhythms. We pass the plateau with this newly built luxury “stone town” of Parnassos and meet the sign to Kordykio on our left. The good forest road crosses pure spruce forest and, 3 km later, ends just below the, as yet unseen, cave. A few steps and we are in front of the narrow, triangular opening of the cave. As we enter, the temperature plummets, and so does the lighting. Soon, however, the eyes get used to it and then a room of perhaps the most impressive dimensions we have seen in a cave so far is revealed. It is a vast homogeneous space, only lowering and narrowing at the bottom. Without measuring instruments, we estimate the total length, up to the ends of the chamber, at about 90 metres, the maximum width at 28-30 metres and the maximum height at 13-15 metres.(11)

The floor of the cave is not particularly uneven. Near the entrance it is sloping and covered mainly with soil. At the ends of the hall the floor becomes rocky and slippery from the ongoing drip. There, many pits and orifices open up, which gave the cave its later name ‘Sarantauli’. The lithic decoration is poor, having obviously been looted over the centuries. A few stalagmites remain, and on the walls, mostly stalactites, mostly parietal.

The dedication of Korykios to Pan and the nymphs was confirmed from the last century by reading the inscriptions carved on the rock, to the right of the mouth of the cave (12). The inscriptions are of the 4thth and 3rdth centuries BC. The first states: “Eustratus / Alcidamon / Ambrysius / co-conspirators / ? Pani / nymphaeus (the initiator Eustratus of Alcidamon was a native of the neighbouring Ambrysos, near Distomo). The second inscription, which is a little older, again mentions nymphs and Pan along with the thymes… “nymphs / Panos and Thyadan…

Excavation of the floor was carried out by the French archaeologists P. Amandry and Michand in 1970 and 1971. The largest number of the inscriptions belong chronologically to the Archaic and Classical periods, from the 6thth century BC to the end of the 4thth century BC. As the finds show, the cave was in use in the middle and later Neolithic period, as well as in the Early and Late Helladic periods.

The archaeological researcher Stathis Sideras was kind enough to send us a wealth of information about the route of the cave over the centuries, as well as a systematic description of the huge number and variety of the inscriptions found in it. Attempting a concise abstract of this data, we note first that we find in Strabo, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Sophocles, Pausanias, Euripides, Plutarch, Aristonos of Corinth, in the above inscriptions at the entrance of the orifice, on a marble votive base and on the neck of clay vessels.

The first period of the burrow, which begins in the Late Neolithic period (4,300-3000 BC), includes objects made of clay, bone or shell, obsidian and flint, 3,000 pieces of clay vases and 6 clay statuettes. The Mycenaean period, around 1400 BC, included 300 pieces of pottery, a clay statuette and from the late 8thth – 7th century BC, bronze votive offerings, a horse, two birds, a clay pot and two rings.

But the great wealth of votive offerings comes from the 6thth century BC and the centuries that followed: 15.In the 6th century and the 4th century BC, there are about 15,000 pieces of vases, 7,000 statuettes and busts, 1,000 rings and rings, 25,000 anchovies, small votive offerings of bronze, iron, glass and alabaster, a thin gold disc decorated with a mermaid’s head and a variety of coins from Central and Northern Greece, Euboea, Attica, Attica, the Peloponnese, Asia Minor and the Ionian Islands. Important is a clay complex representing a circular dance of nymphs with Pan in the centre holding a musical instrument. The Dionysian circle includes a painted clay plaque depicting a dance of Manades and Satyrs. Two marble satyrs are the most beautiful statues of the grotto, one with an original height of about 1.25 m and the other 0.75 m.

A special kind of votive offerings are the ankles, known as “goitres”, which were dedicated to the Nymphs before the wedding. It was a popular game of the ancients, still played today in Arahova. In fact, 6 dice were found in the cave, 4 clay, 1 bone and 1 stone. Of the 25,000 or so ankle bones, over 95% are sheep or goat bones. Some copper, stone and glass were also found. 2,500 are pierced, while 150 bear a letter or a name or name of an abbreviated figure from mythology. (We were also lucky enough to find a couple of simple bone bones among the dirt of the cave floor).

But what is the reason for this huge number of diverse votive offerings? But, of course, to the worship of the pilgrims to the god Pan and the Corycian Nymphs, who were believed to protect young girls and their marriage. In 480 BC the cave was used as a refuge during the Persian invasion. This third period of the den is the most important. It begins in the 8thth century and ends at the beginning of the 2ndth century BC. In the time of Pausanias only those around Parnassus considered it sacred. Pausanias, however, considers it the most remarkable of all the caves he saw and believes that it was named after a nymph, Corycia.

We emerge again into the blinding daylight. After the astonishing wealth of information that we have in mind, Corio Andro has acquired another dimension in our eyes, much more important than its cave image, which is, in any case, very impressive.

We begin the descent on a rocky path with intermediate steps. Around us grow only low holly and sparse cedar birch trees. On the opposite horizon we can see the most famous mountains of the northern Peloponnese. In a quarter of an hour we enter the first fir trees, while a little later, the downhill path gives way to a flat dirt road. Following it, we reach in less than 10 minutes the chapel of Paliopanagia and the wooden forest outpost of Parnassos.

– Before we continue on our way to Delphi, let me show you a location, says the Mayor.

We get in the cars and from the chapel we move west, through the fir forests of Parnassos. After about a km we turn left on a forest road. At 1,7 km the road ends in a clearing with fir trees. I wonder why we have come this far, since I don’t see anything shocking around me.

– Let’s walk two to three minutes to the top of the hill, the Mayor says.

I already assume that some nice views await us at the top. How could I imagine that, apart from the panoramic horizon, we would be in front of a set of scattered carved ancient megaliths! It is to these megaliths that the hill is called “Marbles”, and from an altitude of 1487 metres it looks out over everything around it.

But what are these large, well-crafted stones at the top of the hill? We cannot determine with certainty their true identity. According, however, to the archaeologist Keramopoulos, they were thought to be the remains of an altar or temenos, no earlier than the 4thth century BC.

But here are the surprises at Marmara. One of the company, now of mature age but slim and agile, who until then we had not heard his voice, decides to talk to us with his soursop. He is the Arachovite teacher Elias Liakos, described by Andreas Tsouras in 1989 as “a clever inquiring mind, scholarly and light-hearted”. And an excellent musician, we would add. Like another Pan – to whom the invention of the musical reed flute is attributed – Uncle Elias takes out his own flute and lets an exquisite tune spill out in absolute silence. If we closed our eyes, we would think we were present at the ancient “Pythia” at Delphi, listening to the tune that was being praised for the winner of some contest…

With the sweet-sounding tune in our ears we descend from the Marbles. We return to Paliopanagia and, a few hundred meters before the church, we take the marked path to Kroki. It is a lovely walk in the shade of the fir forest. In 40 minutes we reach the site of Krokhi, a clearing with wooden houses, which was used as a camping site for the citizens of Delphi.

On a forest road we head south from the chapel of Ag. Paraskevi. We meet a stone spring, after the sign of the Forestry Office of Krokhi – Delphi, the sign E4, a large stone spring and, a little lower, on the left of the road, we see a sign on the rocks. The path follows the course of a shallow, dry gully, between cedars and holly trees. The path is distinct and passable. At 5 minutes we finally leave the gully and continue a little further up and parallel to it. A 10 minutes later our feet step on the authentic cobblestone pavement of the ancient Delphi strata. For the first time in hours, the settlement looms low overlooking a residential view. The ancient path winds along the steep slopes with long traverses from NE to SW. The long length of the successive manoeuvres lengthens the distance, but ensures gentle slopes and a more gentle descent. The ancient path bears steps carved into the rock at frequent intervals, which gave it the name ‘Evil Stairs’. (13) The old stones are rounded from long use. The walls also supporting the path are made up of large stones, most of which have obvious ancient origins. It is not easy to describe feelings and associations during the descent. We just feel happy to walk on this famous ancient path over the state of Delphi.

The descent from Korykio Andros to the first houses of Delphi takes three to three and a half hours. The last part of the path is dirt and steep, very different from the gentle slopes of the ancient cobblestone path. We gaze down for a while at the Stadium. Then we pass close to the Angelos and Eva Sikelianos Delphic Festivals Museum. The yellow E4 sign leads us to the asphalt road. The ancient strata is already past.

SEARCHING FOR THE HANDLES OF THE “RIFT ROAD”

 

We would love to live, even for a while, in the time of Pausanias, when the famous for its width “Schisti Odos” (also called “Triplai Amaxitos”) was the main artery for the pilgrims of Delphi from Athens and Thebes. The shape of the place in the area of Schisti has not changed from prehistoric times until today, because it is the only passage to Delphi between the mountains Parnassos to the north and Kirfis or Xerovouni to the south. Today, of course, nothing in the landscape reveals the existence of the famous road of antiquity. Somewhere under the present-day asphalt road Arachova – Livadia or between the grid of rural roads next to the ravine stream are probably the ancient cobblestones.

Pausanias mentions quite a lot about his travels in the area. He says that, apart from the ascent to the Korykio grotto and the top of Parnassus from Delphi, there was, as now, a path to these two points from Daflis. (14) And by the expression ‘inverted to the Delphic straight from Dawlidos’ he means that he leaves the uphill road to the top of Parnassus and returns eastwards from Dawlis, where the ‘Delphic straight’ was, which he takes on his way to Schisti. The road that Pausanias follows therefore enters the uphill passage between Parnassus and Xerovouni, as does the present road uphill to Arachova. This pass was found in 1805 by Leake under the name “Derveni of Zemenos” and this name is still in use. The named “Hani tou Zemenou” was located in the middle of the route from Schisti to Arachova.(15)

A tip about traces of the “Schisti Odos” sends us downhill from Arachova to the settlement of Zemenos. Just beside the village sign, a dirt road turns right with a yellow sign “Xerovouni” and signs of the local path “22”. We take this well-paved dirt road parallel to the asphalt road, heading towards Arachova. To the unsuspecting traveller it looks like an ordinary road. But an informed observer will recognise after a few hundred metres parts of an ancient cobbled road. It is not the shocking discovery of an ancient monument, but it is the traces, however humble, of the famous Schisti Odos.

The dirt road continues between vineyards. A little later we lower into a gully, parallel to a dry stream bed. Dry stone walls are scattered everywhere, with stones that look as if they have been worked from long ago. A typical example is a remnant wall at 2.9km just off the tarmac and just 20m to the left of the dirt road, in a small almond grove. A corner of the building survives, at a height of about 1.70 metres, with a wall of well-carved limestone.

Continuing along the network of dirt roads through the ravine we can end up opposite Arachova or in the olive grove below Delphi. There is no doubt about it. The overall geomorphology of the place proves that it was a wonderful passage to the valley of Delphi.

We attempt one last tour in the direction of Dafleia, turning left from the main road Arachova – Livadia. At about 3 km on the left of the road, a simple stone column with excerpts from Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus stands out.(16)

The extract ends with the important reference for the Schist Road: “The land of Phocis is a slit road, and the road leads from Delphi to Delphi and from Daulia”.

From somewhere here, lost today between the ravine and the dense pine trees, the famous “Schisti Odos”, which later crossed the site of Zemenos, passed by. We feel as if we have walked it.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Warm thanks are due:

– To the Prefecture of Fokida and personally to the Prefect Nikos Fouseki.

– To the Mayor of Delphi Panagiotis Kaltsis for all his help.

– To Apostolis Hadjidimou, the communication manager of the Municipality of Delphi, for the full support of our efforts.

– To Stathis Sidiras for his valuable information.

– Finally, to our good friends and collaborators Kostas and Elsa Zarokosta, for their companionship and unreserved support in our work.

 

REFERENCES

  • “EXCURSIONS AND TRAVEL”, ed. DIFROS.
  • (Pausanios, “HELLAS PERIODIS”, Book 10, “FOCKS”).
  • Christos Karouzos, “DELPHI”, 1974
  • Karouzos, op.cit.
  • “DELPHI”, op.p.
  • The author means the plain with the famous olive grove of Amfissa.
  • According to footnote 4, p. 450 of the book “FOKIKA” by Pausanias (Athens edition), the correct spelling of the settlement is “Chryso”.
  • Pausanios, Greece Tour, “FOKIKA”, ATHENS PUBLISHERS.
  • EDITORIAL ATHENS, “FOKIKA”, op.p.
  • PAYSANIOU “FOCKS”, op. cit.
  • The width of the hall according to the data of the Athens Publishing House (Fokika, op.p.) is 60 meters and according to our collaborator, writer and folklorist George Lekakis, 50 meters.
  • Editors of Athens, op.p.
  • We consider the name excessive, since it is neither rough nor dangerous
  • He means the present-day Dafleia, with the path that starts above the Monastery of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem.
  • Athens Publishing House, “FOKIKA”
  • The column has been erected with the care of the Hellenic Psychoanalytic Society and at the expense of the Prefecture of Boeotia in 1996.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

– Pausanios, “HELLAS PERIHAGIS, FOKIKA”, Athens, Athens 2004

– Chr. Karouzos, “DELPHI”, ed. ERMIS 1973 (2004)

– ALKIS THRYLOS, “Excursions and travel”, ed. DIFROS, Athens 1963.

– Stathis Sideras, “Arachova of Parnassos from Prehistoric to Byzantine times”, “Revealing the past”, 2006.

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Issue 60
Νοέμβριος 2007
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