So What WAS the Deal with the Oracle of Delphi?

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I love that the Apollo drawing the background says “aghh I have prophecies tomorrow” 😂👍

Geologist, PhD here. This video was SO MUCH FUN and exceptionally accurate - discussions ranging from the nature of bituminous limestone to ethylene volatilization risks. I'm seriously impressed! GNEISS work on this! :D

Inhaling ethylene fumes couldn't have been healthy...maybe the real reason for the "Winter Break" was to give the poor Pythia time to recover.

The idea that cannabis was common in the region but NO ONE ever said "it smells like weed in here" is enough for me. I can't go anywhere weed smoke is/has been without someone pointing it out lol

"And for some reason the only thing helping me is Dr Pepper" -- optimal moment for an in-video link to the Snake Oil Tierlist video, hehe

I am actually more surprised nobody really cared what Dionysus thought he's the god of wine... like you would think during that time period people would be asking things like "I did some repairs on my house and now my wine tastes all weird. Is there anything I can do to make ammends?".

If nothing else, this is a much more fun version of the phrase "she's come down with a case of the vapors."

The Pythia was also known to chew on leaves of oleander and inhale its fumes as it burned. These fumes, when inhaled, can lead to symptoms similar to those of epilepsy, which was known as the “sacred disease.” I remember reading a while ago that such fumes were likely led through the air vents and probably to just below the Pythia’s seat, as traces of burnt oleander had also been found in an underground chamber at Delphi. This would also explain why the Oracle was only available in the summer months (oleander flowers from early summer to mid-autumn and inhaling its fumes regularly for a prolonged amount of time can shorten an individual’s lifespan significantly), and might also explain the entire “the goats go crazy there” thing, as they may have eaten the oleander growing in the vicinity, though I have no idea how goats are affected by it in comparison to humans.

Interestingly, ethylene is VERY flammable, and the fact that there was no documented source of flames in that room is highly suggestive that it might indeed be ethylene! LOVE this theory!

14:21 Or in the case of the famous prophecy "Croeses, if you make war on Persia, a great empire will fall," as one of my favorite (and criminally underrated) YouTubers Generic History Videos put it thus: "The oracle basically said, 'If there is a war, someone is going to lose', and it doesn't exactly take a god to figure that out."

I have to admit, as a Greek and an amateur archaeologist (I had to abandon my studies midway due to financial reasons :( ) I got a bit tense in the first minute of the video. I'm really used to westerners jumping to conclusions or using terrible sources in their research and discourse, so I have to say, I was immensely relieved and very pleasantly surprised as you carried on. Your sources are excellent, exactly the kind I'd reach for while I was still studying the subject in university and you approached the topic from a great position of neutrality, without resorting to presentism. Even your humour is on point and put a smile on my face; I'm sorta fed up with over-the-top humour and reactions and your chill approach is so much more enjoyable. I was especially happy about how frank you were regarding the fact that for a lot of things about the ancient world, we're just never going to have concrete answers. I wish more people would digest that fact and stop trying to impose modern morals and rationality to ancient ways of thought we simply can't understand anymore. It's not a bad thing; it's just the nature and effect of time and change in human society. The further we move away from an old way of thinking, the more alien it will seem to us. I love your content because you keep the quality of the discourse to a very high, yet still accessible level and with just one video, you've made up for a lot of the disappointment I've had from the wider online community about their takeaways from Greek history, culture and myth. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and research with us. <3 As for sybil... yeah, I'd be Athena's. I'm almost always the one sane woman/adult in a situation. As often as I want to just throw people, I find it better to just try and be supportive and stand up for the truth and what's right.

I can't read the episode title without thinking of Jerry Seinfeld Live! At The Agora being like "So WHaaAAAaaT's the deal with the Oracle of Delphi??"

“We get it Pythia, you vape”

OMG you, covering the oracle?!? I'm obsessed with the spiritual practices of ancient Greece like visiting the oracle or the Dionysiac rituals. Thank you!!! 😊

The handsome squidward Apollo..😂

I truly appreciated your warning, “And don’t be asking Apollo any stupid questions.” I fell over laughing because for about ten years I worked as an “Advisor” with a huge company offering Psychic readings. We were tested not just in the interview but sporadically. I mention this because the absolutely strangest request to use my gift was to find a clients car keys! I wonder what Apollo would have replied to her! LoL

It's amusing how often ancient sources are disbelieved, when it seems they are often trying to accurately document their experiences rather than deceive. Great video, Kaz!

my name is delphi and I really enjoyed this video. full of positive affirmations about how amazing Delphi is.

Is that a crown of parsley & wild lettuce? It, along with the gothic lamp give such delightful victorian vibes Pneuma, breath, vapor, can also mean soul; after all volcanic vapors tend not to smell nice. (Ethylene not withstanding) (the ethylene frenzy is not one i knew) The secular explanation i like the most is "she was a very well informed woman" theory. People came to delphi from all over. People talk, the pithia listens to agents of all factions wanting to go to war