| During
the Mycenaean period, the female deity of Earth was worshipped in the
small
settlement of Delphi. The development of the sanctuary and oracle
though,
began in the 8th century B.C. with the establishment of the cult of
Apollo.
Under the protection and administration of the Amphictyony, the
sanctuary
continued to be autonomous after the First Sacred War and, as a result,
increased
its panhellenic religious and political influence. The Pythian Games
were
re-organized, the sanctuary was enlarged and it was enriched with nice
buildings,
statues, and other offerings. In the 3rd century B.C. it came under the
domination
of the Aetolians and later, in 191 B.C., was conquered by the Romans. |
