By Scott Shephard
Greek theater at Delphi, Greece
Two days ago we made the 3 hour trek from Athens to Delphi, perhaps the most sacred place in 5th century BCE Greece.
I’m afraid that a photo like this can’t really show the true power of this location, though you may get an idea of the setting: this whole religious precinct, consisting of temples, a theater, an athletic stadium, among many others things, is situated on the side of a mountain.
You might find it odd that a theater would be included in a religious sanctuary but ancient Greeks watching tragedies like Oedipus Rex by Sophocles weren’t looking for entertainment. Theater was a kind of a cure-all in that the audience would be purged of “pity and fear” after watching a play.
I’ll admit that I don’t really understand this — and I studied this stuff for 4 years in college. But I’m guessing there’s a whole lot of things we do today that the ancient Greeks wouldn’t understand.
Canon R5 f/6 1/25 sec 100 ISO