So ordinary ancient Greeks were very religious and superstitious. It is not excluded that some people with clear heads and profound thoughts gradually doubt the existence of God. In the development of ancient Greek philosophy, the entanglement between philosophy and religion has been running through. But ordinary ancient Greeks, their lives and customs are closely related to this world full of gods.
For example, on any important occasion, they will hold activities to sacrifice to God. For example, the public sacrifices at that time were all related to religion and God. The most famous festivals in Athens are "Mother's Day on the Earth /Thesmophoria" (September to June, 10 in Gregorian calendar, in memory of Demeter/Demeter and his daughter/Persephone) and "Flower Festival/Flower Festival" (February to March in Gregorian calendar, in memory of Dion. For example, the ancient Greeks always made sacrifices to the gods before military action, especially before the battle began. At this time, the priest will kill a small animal (usually a lamb or a pig) and observe the internal organs of the animal to decide whether to participate in the war. This kind of divination should be carried out even when the situation is dangerous. Please refer to section 4 of Volume 6 of Xenophon's Long March.
In the life of the ancient Greeks, the most direct connection between them and God was the Oracle.
Oracle (Greek for "chrêstêrion" and English for "Oracle") means that people ask the priests in the temple what they care about, and then the priests answer them in the name of God. Oracle Bone Inscriptions had a wide and profound influence on the life of the ancient Greeks. From personal weddings, funerals, travel and business, to the war decision-making and diplomatic alliance of the polis, the ancient Greeks sought the Oracle. This phenomenon has been recorded in many ancient documents, such as the "history" of 357, 4 16 1, 589, 634, 8 144 and other places. As mentioned in section 1 of the third volume of the Long March, Xenophon also asked the Oracle before going to participate in the Long March. Even his teacher, philosopher Socrates, attached great importance to this move. In addition, if some important actions were not consulted in advance, the ancient Greeks thought they would definitely fail. For example, Dorios, who fled from Sparta, tried to establish a colony in Sicily without consulting the Oracle in advance, which Herodotus believed led to his final death (5: 42).
Not every temple can issue oracles, only certain temples with prophetic ability are qualified. There were several famous Oracle Bone Inscriptions publishing places in ancient Greece. See the list in 46, that is, in the paragraph where King Clothos of Lydia asked God if he could attack the Persians. (Note: Clothos is not Greek. He also asked the Oracle that this custom had spread to the surrounding areas of Greece. )
Mainland Greece (click to enlarge)
These places are (see Map of Greek Native Land on the left): Apollo Temple in Delphi, Apollo Temple in Abai (later looted by Persians), Zeus Temple in Tatano, and Ann Filias Temple in Lops (this man is not a god, but a mythical hero who participated in the "Seven Attacks on Thebes" war. Before the war, he predicted that he would die in battle), the temple of "/Branchidae" in Miletus (named after a son of Apollo "/Branchus"), and the cave of "Trovonius /Trophonius" in Le Bedia (this person turned out to be a famous architect, and the temple of Apollo in Delphi is his work. It is said that he did not charge for the construction, but prayed to God for "the greatest happiness that a mortal can bear". After his death, people thought that he became a god and had the function of prophecy. See VIII 134). Among them, the most famous and accurate Oracle is of course the temple of Apollo in Delphi.
It is necessary to say a few more words about Delphi. At the earliest time, it was not Apollo that was worshipped here, but Gaia (the oldest god in Greek mythology). People at that time came to Delphi to pray for the Oracle from the goddess. Kaya was assisted by her two daughters: themis, one of the female titans, who later became a goddess specializing in law. In front of western courthouses, there is often a blindfolded female sculpture with a sword in one hand and a balance in the other, which is his image) and Phoebe (also one of the female titans, the grandmother of Apollo and Artemis).
Prints of the scene in which Apollo killed Piton. Notice that the image of the Pitong here has changed from a python to a lizard (click to enlarge).
Later, the control of Delphi was transferred to Poseidon, and the Oracle was released by a python named Pitong/Python. Later, Apollo killed the python and made his own bowstring out of its skin, turning Delphi into the place where he issued the Oracle (see right). The priestess in the temple of Apollo was named "Pitong/Python" because of "Pitong/Python".
The above story of Delphi's three owners changing hands can be regarded as a kind of "reconstruction" of Delphi's history by the ancients. That is to say, Delphi's religion actually went through three stages: sub-stage, tea stage and Apollo stage. The process of the third stage replacing the second stage may have the background of violent conquest. Referring to the history of ancient Greece, we can think that this violent conquest corresponds to the "Dorian invasion" in the12nd century. Apollo's killing of Piton is actually a mythical expression of Doris's capture of Delphi. The name relationship between "Petija" and "Pitong" reflects that: 1, Pitong may not be a python originally, but a former priestess (there is indeed a god who said that the name of the python is "Petija"); 2. Before the Doric invasion, Delphi was already a famous publishing place in Oracle Bone Inscriptions; 3. "Pitong/Petia" is a priestess and Apollo is a goddess, so the story of "Apollo killed Pitong" can also be considered as a metaphor for the patriarchal society finally replacing the matriarchal society.
In addition, the Pitong Athletic Games, one of the "Four Great Ancient Greek Athletic Games" with the same name as Olympia, is said to have been held for atonement after Apollo killed Pitong. Moreover, sports events are generally held to commemorate the death of a hero (for example, after Achilles died, the Greek Coalition forces held a sports event to commemorate him). Therefore, as a priest who issued an Oracle, Pi Tong's early image may be very positive. Pitong appeared as a python, which should have been deliberately invented by later generations to weaken the bloody atmosphere of Doris's violent conquest. Later myths also found the reason for Apollo to kill Pitong: Pitong is now a man who tried to flirt with Leto before Apollo's mother Leto gave birth to a baby. In later myths, the smell of blood has been completely erased, and the image of Pi Tong has completely disappeared. The story became that Temes and Fobi gave Delphi to Apollo.
Today, Delphi is still one of the most famous tourist destinations in Greece. There are too many stories to tell in this place.
"navel" stone (click to enlarge)
In ancient Greek mythology, Delphi played a very important role. It is said that Zeus released an eagle (the god bird of Zeus) where the sun rose and where the sun set, so that they kept flying. Finally, the two eagles met at Delphi's place. Zeus thought it was the "navel" of the earth and put a stone here. It is said that this stone was swallowed by Cronus/kronos by Zeus' mother/Rhea [1] (see left). If people touch this stone, it is said that they can communicate with God. Bossanias recorded in Chapter 24, Section 6, Volume 10 of The Travels of Greece that by the 2nd century A.D., the Delphi people were still very pious in maintaining this stone and oiling it every day.
The temple of Apollo in Delphi was built around this stone, that is, around the "center point" of the world. What we see today is not the temple built by Trovonis. According to archaeologists' speculation, the temple may have been built in the 8th century, and it is the earliest large-scale building in Delphi. Since the 8th century, more and more sacrificial objects have appeared in the remains of temples, which shows that Delphi has established his authority in the Oracle throughout Greece since this time. Of all the recorded Delphi oracles, the oldest is probably the 8th century. ) Compared with Delphi, Oracle Bone Inscriptions publishing offices in other places have never left so many sacrifices, which shows that their authority is even worse.
In 548 BC, the earliest temple was destroyed by an accidental fire. Reconstruction began in 536 BC. All over Greece were collecting money for the new temple, and even the Egyptian Pharaoh Amasis at that time donated some alum (2 180). What is worth mentioning here is Cristini, the leader of Athenian democracy, mentioned in the sixth reading notes of Volume V of History. After he was expelled by the Athenian tyrant Hippias, he deliberately built a new temple with marble exceeding the original specifications in order to please and get Petya's help. Later, Petya was directly bribed to tell the Spartans the Oracle, and they were always told to attack Hippias. The new temple was built around 5 13-505 BC. During the Persian War, many historical oracles came from here.
Site of Apollo Temple in Delphi (click to view larger image)
In 373 BC, the earthquake destroyed the second temple. It took more than 30 years to rebuild (366-329 BC). Archaeologists found a list of people who raised money for the reconstruction. From Spartan kings to ordinary women, they all contributed to the Third Temple. Some people are obviously extremely poor, and the money they donate is hardly enough to carve their names on the slate. However, with the efforts of these pious people, the temple was finally built and preserved to this day. The remains we see today are left by the third temple, some of which were decorated by later Romans (see right).
Aditon in the temple of Apollo is where Petya said the Oracle. In addition, the navel stone is also in this secret room. There is also a kind of "flame" in the main hall of the temple, that is, a flame that never goes out, representing holiness and purity. When Xue Xisi's invasion was repulsed, in order to "purify" the "pollution" caused by Xue Xisi to Greece, all the flames in Greece, including the "sacred flame" of each city-state and the kitchen fire of every household, were extinguished. Then the "flame" here in Delphi leads to fire, giving all Greeks pure fire again. In this way, Greece was reborn [2].
Delphi plan (click to enlarge)
In addition to the temple of Apollo, the treasure house of each city-state is also a scene of Delphi (see left). At first, the treasure house was the place where the city-states kept sacrifices to the gods, and later it gradually became the competition among the city-states. Every city-state tries its best to store the treasures that best reflect its wealth, honor and achievements in its own treasure house, so as to show off its strength to other city-States. It is mentioned in the sixth reading notes in the seventh volume of History that after the Athenians got the ropes of the pontoon bridge erected by Xue Xisi in the ancient Heiles Strait, they displayed them in their own treasure house to show that they had driven away the Persians. Other city-states also tried their best to decorate their treasures to the extreme. For example, a 50-year-old man mentioned the treasures provided by King Clothos of Lydia, which were used by some city-states to decorate their treasures. In addition, during the reconstruction of the Third Temple, some expenses were spent on inviting experts from Athens and Corinth to restore these treasures. The discovery of these expenditure accounts can help us better understand the economic activities of the Greeks.
Portrait of Delphi rider (click to enlarge)
However, successive wars and insatiable human greed have preserved all the Delphi treasures mentioned by Herodotus to this day-except one. Today's archaeologists find inferior works that the ancients didn't pay attention to. In the 2nd century A.D., Bossanias's Travels of Greece recorded in detail a large number of treasures in Delphi's treasure house at that time, except that one, the rest have not been preserved so far. However, even second-rate works, how much artistic enjoyment we get from them! For example, the most famous archaeological discovery of Delphi today-the so-called "portrait of Delphi rider" (see right). This bronze statue was cast in memory of a Syracuse player who won the carriage race in Piton. The age is about 470 BC. The investor may be the tyrant of Syracuse at that time, the Galen we met earlier. Its solemn expression and posture, as well as meticulous clothing, all represent the highest level of Greek sculpture in the early classical period. It is not difficult for us to imagine how much loss those lost treasures mean to human civilization. Today, the archaeological excavation in Delphi is still not over. I wonder what surprises are waiting for us here.
The war has been plaguing Delphi. There are three wars related to Delphi in history, hence the name "jihad/war of fear"-in fact, as long as it is a war, it is always cruel and bloody. How can it be "sacred"?
The first "jihad" broke out around 595-586 BC. The reason is that there is a small town called Kilha near Delphi. The residents of this small town targeted the pilgrims who came to Delphi to offer sacrifices for the Oracle and the money they had with them, so they robbed pilgrims specially. In this way, all the powerful city-states in Greece at that time-Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Corinth, etc. -Form an alliance to attack Kira. The leader of the allied forces is Cleisthenes (the grandfather of Cleisthenes, the democratic leader of Athens), whom we met in Item 12 of Volume V of History. This war has a special place in history: it is the first recorded war using chemical weapons. As the allied forces could not quickly break through the walls of the city of Kira, a doctor named Nebros came up with an idea: put a poisonous turmeric in the water pipe that supplied the city of Kira. As a result, all the people in the city were infected with dysentery, and the city of Kira was captured, all the people were killed and the city was razed to the ground.
The consequence of the first "jihad" was the establishment of the "Amphition Alliance"-named after Hilong's younger brother in the "deucalion-Hilong myth" [3]. This alliance is a religious organization whose main function is to manage Delphi affairs (see July 2, 200013). It meets twice a year, and its main responsibility is to ensure that pilgrims from all over the world can travel to Delphi unimpeded. There are 65,438+02 members-all Greeks-including Athenians, Spartans, Thebes, forsyth, maryse, Magney Asians, Lokris and Delphi natives. Member States promise each other that they will not cut off each other's water sources or kill each other's people when fighting each other. This is probably because Kira's tragedy made them feel guilty. This guarantee has been kept between them. It is also worth mentioning that Hippocrates, the ancient Greek "medical god", is a descendant of Nebros. Perhaps out of contempt for the behavior of ancestors, Hippocrates made the so-called "/Hippocratic oath" for the medical profession. As the origin of doctors' professional ethics, its influence has continued to this day.
The second "jihad" took place after the Persian War and before the Peloponnesian War. Because Foces is closest to Delphi, Foces people want to control Delphi, but they actually want to control those treasures. The Delphi invited Spartans to help them resist forsyth's ambition. In 449 BC, Spartans sent troops to drive away Foces and declared Delphi an independent city. The Athenians, led by Perikles, helped forsyth regain control of Delphi in 448 BC in order to find an ally in the north of their arch-enemy Thebes. This war is a prelude to the hegemony between Sparta and Athens [4]. However, because Athens paid more attention to the navy than the army, forsyth finally chose a policy that could better protect its own security-they sided with Sparta in the Peloponnesian War.
The third "jihad" took place after the Peloponnesian War. Because the 27-year-long war caused heavy losses to Sparta and Athens, Thebes began to take the lead. In order to resist the expansion of Thebes, the people of forsyth once again came up with the idea of Delphi treasure. In 356 BC, they robbed Delphi, and most of the treasures mentioned by Herodotus were taken away by forsyth. At that time, the actions of forsyth people aroused strong anger in all parts of Greece, and a "holy war" broke out against them. Although forsyth people recruited a mercenary with the money from selling treasures, they persisted in resisting for 10 years, and were finally completely defeated in 346 BC, and were forced to pay huge reparations. The third "jihad" was led by the newly rising Macedonians. Philip II (the father of Alexander the Great), then king of Macedonia, began to establish his hegemony in Greece by virtue of this war. The landmark event was that forsyth was expelled from the Affiktion League, and Macedonians got their seats and became new members of the pure Greek League. This means that Macedonians are officially accepted as Greeks, although those anti-Macedonians in Athens still call them "barbarians", that is, "non-Greeks".
Since then, there have been many wars about Delphi. For example, the Gauls who invaded Rome in 279 BC tried to capture this "holy city", but they were miraculously repelled. The people of forsyth were readmitted to the Alliance for their participation in defending Delphi. In addition, the Roman dictator Sura captured Delphi in 86 BC and plundered it. Nero, the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire, also took 500 bronzes from Delphi in 5 1 AD. Even so, Bossanias in the 2nd century saw many treasures. It is conceivable that Delphi at its peak condensed the essence of Greek civilization.
Let's go back to the Oracle. Distribution offices in Oracle Bone Inscriptions have their own rituals and customs, and there is no uniform norm. Generally speaking, however, people who seek the Oracle first offer sacrifices to the priests, and then the priests will give answers according to some "miracles". These miracles take different forms in different places. For example, in the temple of Ampullus in Lopez, the result of divination is determined by the shape of the flame during burning and sacrifice (see VIII 134). For example, in Korofang, Asia Minor, an illiterate priest went down to a cave to have a sip of spring water, and he could give poetic answers to everyone's questions [5]. The special form is Le badia's Trovonius Cave. Here, people who ask for the Oracle must go through fasting, prayer, bathing and other procedures first, and then decide whether to ask for the Oracle by sacrificing their internal organs. After everything is ready, the questioner should first take a sip of "Forget Spring" to forget everything in his heart, and then take a sip of "Recall Spring" to remember what will happen in the future. Then he will go down to Trovonius Cave and follow certain procedures. Finally, there will be some sounds or sights in the cave. Then he returned to the ground, and the priest explained these sounds or sights to him, so as to get God's answer to his question, that is, the Oracle. What happened in the cave is unknown to outsiders. Because the priests made these Oracle seekers swear not to reveal the situation in the cave [6].
In Delphi, the process of seeking the Oracle is roughly like this:
First of all, tourists are not accepted here every winter. Because it is said that Apollo will leave Delphi in winter and his brother Dionysus will stay here, there is no Oracle to provide in winter. Every spring, on a specific day-the seventh day of the month of Pythagoras (roughly equivalent to February to March in the Gregorian calendar)-that is, Apollo's birthday, Petya will begin to prepare to release the Oracle. Preparations include fasting, bathing, sacrificial ceremonies, and a drink of spring water specially prepared for her. This spring water flows in the secret room of Apollo temple, and no one else can drink it. It is said that after these ceremonies, Petya has the ability to predict. After that, on the 7th of every month (except winter), they will repeat this ceremony.
The vase painted with the Oracle from Tia, painted around 440 BC, is the only cultural relic depicting such scenes (click to enlarge).
People who want to ask God questions need to prepare a lamb, some money and some laurel branches. The laurel tree is Apollo and the sacred tree, so I won't mention Daphne's story. Before asking for the Oracle, he needed to weave laurel branches into a wreath and put it on his head, and then give the money and lamb to the priest in charge outside the temple of Apollo. The priest killed the sheep as a sacrifice, and then observed the internal organs of the sheep, especially the liver, to see if God was willing to answer this man's question. Then the Oracle seeker will draw lots to decide the order of questions. When it's their turn, the questioner wearing laurel wreath will be led into the secret room of Apollo Temple by the priest, and his questions will be written on the slate and handed to Petia. Petya sits on a tripod, holding a laurel branch in one hand and a bowl in the other, which contains the spring water of "Shengquan" (see the right). She will tell God's answer according to the surface of the water. Usually, her state of speaking is almost crazy, similar to an out-of-body experience.
Academics generally believe that Petya's answers are actually vague words, and it is necessary for the priests around Petya to "translate" these nonsense into a language that human beings can understand in order to finally get the Oracle. However, ancient writers often mentioned that Petya spoke the Oracle directly and did not need other people's "translation", such as May 92 in history. It is possible that both forms (translation or direct speaking) have appeared before.
Oracle Bone Inscriptions's form, common metrical poems in history, is mostly short, and the first ten lines are very long Oracle Bone Inscriptions. However, there are also a few oracles in the form of prose, that is, they don't rhyme or conform to the rhythm of poetry.
Oracle Bone Inscriptions's content is often vague and ambiguous. Therefore, the ancient Greeks often needed to explain the Oracle. For example, from July 14 1 year to July 143, the Athenians asked Petya how to resist Xue Xisi's invasion, and the Oracle told them to rely on the "wooden wall". What exactly does this "wooden wall" mean? The Athenians put forward many explanations. Some people think it refers to the wall of the Acropolis, while others think it refers to the navy. The two sides are deadlocked. The problem is the last sentence of the Oracle: "Holy Salami, … you will destroy the children born to women". This makes it impossible for those who advocate referring to the navy to justify themselves. Because this is obviously describing the defeat of the naval battle. At this moment, Themistocles stood out. He thinks that the last sentence is not about the defeat of the Athenians at sea, but about the defeat of the Persians at sea. Because if the Athenians lose, how can Salami Island be "sacred"? It should be "cruel". It was because of this view that the Athenians decided to rely on the navy to resist the invaders.
This story reflects three problems:
On such an important issue as how to resist aggression, the Athenians actually relied on the Oracle to make decisions. This shows the significance of the Oracle to them and the position of the Oracle in the eyes of the ancient Greeks. Of course, there are superstitious elements in this, but there are also places worth studying.
2. Oracle needs to be explained, so it gives some shrewd politicians the opportunity to use Oracle to serve themselves. For example, Themistocles is a master in this field. We don't believe in a prophetic God, so Themistocles's behavior here is not to explain the true meaning of the Oracle, but to interpret it as he wants. Because of Oracle Bone Inscriptions's fuzziness and ambiguity, politicians can "explain" and sometimes "replace" Oracle Bone Inscriptions's content with their own views. Of course, this requires good eloquence. In fact, at that time, a shrewd politician "explained" the Oracle from his own angle, just as a shrewd lawyer "explained" the legal provisions from his own angle today, which is an advanced intellectual activity. The former seems more serious.
In addition, Cleisthenes bribed Tia to tell the Spartans a wrong Oracle, which was also a means for politicians to use the Oracle. It's just that this method is relatively low. Clestini's behavior is known because it was exposed, so is there any other similar situation that has not been exposed? I'm afraid there is.
Therefore, on the important issues concerning the life and death of the city-state, people at that time relied on the Oracle, and besides superstition, politics also played a role behind it. The interpretation of the Oracle, and sometimes even the Oracle itself, was the focus and product of political struggle at that time. The process of making and interpreting Oracle is actually very similar to the process of making and interpreting bill today. Perhaps the more important Oracle came into being after a political struggle that is unknown now; Their interpretation has also gone through a complicated political struggle. After all, whoever can say that God's will is consistent with his own ideas can gain great advantages in the political arena at that time.
3. Oracle Bone Inscriptions's own ambiguity is actually a good language skill. For example, the famous pun "If Clothos attacks Persia, he can destroy a great empire" is correct, no matter which side wins, Clothos or Ju Lushi, because the "great empire" here can refer to Persia and Lydia at the same time. The same thing happened in the Oracle demanded by the Athenians. "Wooden wall" can refer to both the wall of the Acropolis and the navy. And if the Athenian army is going to fight, the wall of the Acropolis is where they will defend. So whether Athens relies on the navy or the army to resist aggression, this sentence is always correct. The phrase "sacred salami" can actually refer to Athenians or Persians. If the Athenians beat the Persians, as Themistocles said, salami is truly "sacred". If the Persians defeat the Athenians, Greece will certainly fall, at least the north of the Isthmus of Corinth will be completely controlled by Persia. In this way, Delphi must accept the rule of Persians. Then once the Persians know this Oracle, they will definitely think salami is "sacred" because it is here that they defeated the Athenians. Salami Island is close to Athens. Whether Athens relied on the army or navy to resist the Persians, the main battlefield would not be too far from Salami Island. Even if the army defends the Acropolis, Salami Island can still witness their failure or success. By that time, Delphi was more concerned about how the Persians understood this "sacredness" than how the Athenians understood it. Therefore, whether Athens relies on the navy or the army, whether Athens wins or loses, if someone reads this Oracle Bone Inscriptions again in the future, they will always find it correct.