The sanctuary of apollo at delos
'Delos, if you would be willing to be the abode of my son Phoebus Apollo and make him a rich temple, (...) all men will bring you hecatombs and gather here, and incessant savour of rich sacrifice will always arise, and you will feed those who dwell in you from the hand of strangers; for truly your own soil is not rich.' (Hymne to Apollo, l.51-60). Thus spoke Leto, the mother of Apollo, to the island Delos and she was granted permission to give birth to Apollo on Delos. This aetological myth explains how the sanctuary of Apollo originally came into being and how it became an important sanctuary in the Greek world. In the fifth century, a new, political dimension was added to the original, religious dimension because Delos became the centre of the so-called Delian League (479-404 BCE). This research will explore this political dimension and will look at how the sanctuary of Apollo functioned within the political framework of the fifth century.
Background information and research question
After the second Persian invasion (480-479) the Greek city-states (poleis), and especially Athens, decided to establish a defensive maritime league to prepare themselves for future invasions from the east. This league, called the Delian-Attic League or simply the Delian League, had Delos as a political centre, which was emphasized by the fact that the treasury of the league was stored there. With this installation of the Delian League, the sanctuary of Apollo at Delos, which until this time merely had a religious function, now also received a strong, political character and this political dimension is most profoundly expressed on the level of the polis. The different Greek city-states that either belonged to the League or not, could express their relation towards the League, and especially towards Athens as its leader, by honoring the sanctuary of Apollo at Delos.
This research will focus on the following question: what was the political function of Delos, and espically the sanctuary of Apollo, with regard to the members of the Delian league and how does this new dimension relate to the religious dimension of the sanctuary? Previous research has largely seperated these two dimensions, but they appear to have been highly intergrated and in this research they will be discussed together in order to achieve new insights into the role the sanctuary played in the fifth century.
After the second Persian invasion (480-479) the Greek city-states (poleis), and especially Athens, decided to establish a defensive maritime league to prepare themselves for future invasions from the east. This league, called the Delian-Attic League or simply the Delian League, had Delos as a political centre, which was emphasized by the fact that the treasury of the league was stored there. With this installation of the Delian League, the sanctuary of Apollo at Delos, which until this time merely had a religious function, now also received a strong, political character and this political dimension is most profoundly expressed on the level of the polis. The different Greek city-states that either belonged to the League or not, could express their relation towards the League, and especially towards Athens as its leader, by honoring the sanctuary of Apollo at Delos.
This research will focus on the following question: what was the political function of Delos, and espically the sanctuary of Apollo, with regard to the members of the Delian league and how does this new dimension relate to the religious dimension of the sanctuary? Previous research has largely seperated these two dimensions, but they appear to have been highly intergrated and in this research they will be discussed together in order to achieve new insights into the role the sanctuary played in the fifth century.
Approach and sources
Since the aim is to look at how a religious place functioned within a political context and how this place can be used within the domain of political relations, both the religious and political domain are important. The first part of the research focuses on Delos as a religious site and constitutes an analysis of the sanctuary of Apollo and the myths and rituals that were tied to this place. The most important source for the myth of the birth of Apollo on Delos is the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, which was written by an unknown author in the seventh century BCE. In this hymn, the birth of Apollo on Delos is described and it is this myth that legitimatizes Delos as an important place of worship for Apollo. Another important source for the mythological part is the work of the Lyric poet Pindar, who addresses this issue in several of his paeans (song or lyric poem).
Another very interesting category of sources which will be used for the analysis of the relation between Delos and the different city-states, is the category of religious songs, which were performed by choruses. Many city-states sent choruses or embassies (theoria) to perform in other cities or places. These theoria could express political relations in two ways: they could reflect on political relations by what they were singing, but also by where they were singing and where not. So these songs are particularly interesting because they contain both religious and political aspects, which are strongly connected, and in this way they reflect the way in which the different aspects of the sanctuary of Apollo worked itself.
Since the aim is to look at how a religious place functioned within a political context and how this place can be used within the domain of political relations, both the religious and political domain are important. The first part of the research focuses on Delos as a religious site and constitutes an analysis of the sanctuary of Apollo and the myths and rituals that were tied to this place. The most important source for the myth of the birth of Apollo on Delos is the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, which was written by an unknown author in the seventh century BCE. In this hymn, the birth of Apollo on Delos is described and it is this myth that legitimatizes Delos as an important place of worship for Apollo. Another important source for the mythological part is the work of the Lyric poet Pindar, who addresses this issue in several of his paeans (song or lyric poem).
Another very interesting category of sources which will be used for the analysis of the relation between Delos and the different city-states, is the category of religious songs, which were performed by choruses. Many city-states sent choruses or embassies (theoria) to perform in other cities or places. These theoria could express political relations in two ways: they could reflect on political relations by what they were singing, but also by where they were singing and where not. So these songs are particularly interesting because they contain both religious and political aspects, which are strongly connected, and in this way they reflect the way in which the different aspects of the sanctuary of Apollo worked itself.
Results
The political aspect of the cult of Apollo at Delos was tightly connected with its religious function. After the realization of the Delian League, Delos became a political centre, which was founded on it's religious foundation. This is reflected in the fact that many city-states sent choruses or embassies to Delos to connect themselves with Delos and the League, thus showing their alliance. This was a sort of religious tribute, with had to be done in addition to the actual, financial tribute. However, other islands could also show their connection to Delos in another way than sending choruseus. Many islands, for example, established a cult of Apollo Delios on their own island or in their own city. So, Delos was not only a place with an important magnetic power, but is was also the place from which the cult of Delian Apollo spread throughout the Aegean.
The involvement of Athens at Delos becomes most clear in the 420’s, when Athens is at war with Sparta, and decides to re-emphasize the importance of the Delian cult, since the importance of the sanctuary had diminished severely after the transportation of the treasury of the Delian league from Delos to Athens in 454 BCE. In the 420's, Athens reintroduced certain festivals in attempt to tie the different members of the league more strongly together. However, several, especially Ionian cities, were not very committed to the league and this was expressed in the fact that they sometimes chose to not participate in the Delian cult, but rather in other cults, such as the cult of Artemis in Ephesos. However, in both cases, Delos was an important point of reference in the Aegean world. Either by strenghtening the relation with Delos, or by renouncing it, the Geek city-states could show what their position in the political spectrum was.
The political aspect of the cult of Apollo at Delos was tightly connected with its religious function. After the realization of the Delian League, Delos became a political centre, which was founded on it's religious foundation. This is reflected in the fact that many city-states sent choruses or embassies to Delos to connect themselves with Delos and the League, thus showing their alliance. This was a sort of religious tribute, with had to be done in addition to the actual, financial tribute. However, other islands could also show their connection to Delos in another way than sending choruseus. Many islands, for example, established a cult of Apollo Delios on their own island or in their own city. So, Delos was not only a place with an important magnetic power, but is was also the place from which the cult of Delian Apollo spread throughout the Aegean.
The involvement of Athens at Delos becomes most clear in the 420’s, when Athens is at war with Sparta, and decides to re-emphasize the importance of the Delian cult, since the importance of the sanctuary had diminished severely after the transportation of the treasury of the Delian league from Delos to Athens in 454 BCE. In the 420's, Athens reintroduced certain festivals in attempt to tie the different members of the league more strongly together. However, several, especially Ionian cities, were not very committed to the league and this was expressed in the fact that they sometimes chose to not participate in the Delian cult, but rather in other cults, such as the cult of Artemis in Ephesos. However, in both cases, Delos was an important point of reference in the Aegean world. Either by strenghtening the relation with Delos, or by renouncing it, the Geek city-states could show what their position in the political spectrum was.
References:
Bruneau, Ph. en Ducat, J., Guide de Délos (Parijs 1983).
Constantakopoulou, C., The Dance of the Islands: Insularity, Networks, the Athenian Empire, and the Aegean World (Oxford 2007).
Miller, A.M., From Delos to Delphi: A literary Study of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (Leiden 1986).
Kowalzig, B., ‘Mapping out communitas. Theoria in its Sacred and Political Context’, in: Elsner en Rutherford, Pilgrimage in Graeco-Roman and Early Christian Antiquity (Oxford 2005) 41-72.
Kowalzig, B., Singing for the Gods. Performances of Myth and Ritual in Archaic and Classical Greece (Oxford 2007).
Written by I.G.
Bruneau, Ph. en Ducat, J., Guide de Délos (Parijs 1983).
Constantakopoulou, C., The Dance of the Islands: Insularity, Networks, the Athenian Empire, and the Aegean World (Oxford 2007).
Miller, A.M., From Delos to Delphi: A literary Study of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (Leiden 1986).
Kowalzig, B., ‘Mapping out communitas. Theoria in its Sacred and Political Context’, in: Elsner en Rutherford, Pilgrimage in Graeco-Roman and Early Christian Antiquity (Oxford 2005) 41-72.
Kowalzig, B., Singing for the Gods. Performances of Myth and Ritual in Archaic and Classical Greece (Oxford 2007).
Written by I.G.
For a nice overview of the remainings of the sanctuary of Apollo and Delos in general, see the video below.
Source:Youtube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb50oo21Tx8
Source:Youtube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb50oo21Tx8