Delphi

Overall, I found Delphi the most intellectually valuable, visually stunning, and best geographically situated site. Delphi offered a variety of outlets for the ancient’s creativity, and is understandable considering the religious importance of the area and beautiful landscape in which it is set. Delphi’s architectural feats are many and varied. Here we could see temples, sporting arenas (track), and treasuries, all set in landscape like I saw nowhere else during the trip. This was one of the primary reasons for going on this trip, to see Delphi again. Foremost, the Tholos temple “Athena Pronaia” is a personal favorite. The round structure (Tholos) sets it apart from many other traditionally constructed temples and gives it unique beauty and sense of perfection. Amidst the beauty of the wondrous sanctuary one can hardly imagine the burning remains of sacrificial animals laying about (and possibly humans too in times of strife.) This site is already an eye opener, having a relatively rare style temple in decent condition, but then one begins to move up the hill. Here you can find several treasuries, and one can only imagine the incredible amount of wealth they must have held. Moving up farther one comes to a temple and even farther up a track for running in athletic events. I  participated in sprinting down the track, despite the rain and slippery conditions. The hazy atmosphere, beautiful geography, and quantity and quality of the structures added up to a truly unforgettable experience. One could almost imagine coming to Delphi to visit the oracle; the religious aptitude was definitely felt here, more so than many other places. Overall Delphi offers a geographically stunning location, a variety of architectural structures, and feel for the religious significance of the area.

Museum

The progression of sculpture in antiquity is demonstrated here. In the archaic period male figures such as these (Kourous) stood upright with both feet forward. The stylized and the overall rigid stance characterizes this early period in sculpture.

Kourous

Antinoos

Later, the human form was nearly perfectly recreated in stone during the classical period. The natural pose in which one leg is in front of the other and the body's balance of weight is more realistically portrayed characterizes this period. Note too that the hair is realistically portrayed. The face is idealized and Antinoos is shown as a hero. We will not commonly see non-idealized renderings of people of all walks of life, including people in pain and suffering, beggars, and old people until the Hellenistic age.

Charioteer

The Charioteer is unique because it is made of bronze, which we saw few of during the trip. How the drapery alludes to a column is also a unique feature. The original complete piece would have featured a full chariot and horses, however today only some parts remain.

Base of the Hill

Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia