The four major stars of Delphinus from ESO data. Credit: Digitized Sky Survey, ESA/ESO/NASA FITS Liberator. Colour Composite: Alun Salt.
Posted on 07/25/2010 5:49:29 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Researchers at the University of Leicester have unravelled a 2,700 year old mystery concerning The Oracle of Delphi -- by consulting an ancient farmer's manual. The researchers from the School of Archaeology and Ancient History sought to explain how people from across Greece came to consult with the Oracle... on a particular day of the year even though there was no common calendar... celestial signs observed by farmers could also have determined the rituals associated with Apollo Delphinios. Postgraduate student Alun Salt said: ..."I was playing around with a planisphere while suffering from insomnia. This is when I noticed that the constellation Delphinus would have been rising in the eastern sky in late December and early January. This is the same time that some cities were sacrificing to Apollo Delphinios. I wondered if ritual events could use the same system described by Hesiod. The problem was that January wasn't the time Apollo Delphinios was questioned at Delphi. Delphi was a month late compared to other cities. I knew the cliffs at Delphi would delay the rising of Delphinus there, but I didn't know by how much... The event still happens, about a month later these days because of the way the Earth's movement in the heavens has changed since ancient times. The big problem is light pollution. The stars of Delphinus are quite faint. You won't see them from Athens, and I don't know if the sky around Delphi is dark enough to make them out. It's a challenge for anyone at Delphi around the start of February."
(Excerpt) Read more at alunsalt.com ...
The four major stars of Delphinus from ESO data. Credit: Digitized Sky Survey, ESA/ESO/NASA FITS Liberator. Colour Composite: Alun Salt.
Ping!
Please excuse my ignorance. What was the subject matter of the consultations?
That can make you go blind. Ask Glenn Beck.
Very interesting, thanks. We just saw Winter’s Tale last night, and the Delphi Oracle is featured. Got me thinking about it. I love his blog’s by-line: ‘AlunSalt.com, because naming a blog is harder than it looks.’ haha.
Very interesting, thanks. We just saw Winter’s Tale last night, and the Delphi Oracle is featured. Got me thinking about it. I love his blog’s by-line: ‘AlunSalt.com, because naming a blog is harder than it looks.’ haha.
Very interesting, thanks. We just saw Winter’s Tale last night, and the Delphi Oracle is featured. Got me thinking about it. I love his blog’s by-line: ‘AlunSalt.com, because naming a blog is harder than it looks.’ haha.
It’s Obama’s Fault
‘What was the subject matter of the consultations?’
Everything from who to marry to when and where to go to war.
Ping!
LOL. And it can also make one very “late”
This series is OUTSTANDING: http://www.drivethruhistory.com/
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The most famous consultations involved Croesus of Lydia, the Spartans before Thermopylae, and most famously of all, the “wooden wall” of Athens.
Not much here, but may be of interest:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/oracleatdelphi/index
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/oracleofdelphi/index
Thanks!
From the town of Delphi where the hotels are, no way could you see Delphinus. But from the Temple of Apollo I’ll bet you could. One problem - It’s closed at night!
I never studied the the origins of the name “Delphi” and despite being an astronomy buff.
Just ordered a copy of “Theogony” from Amazon. Another important book that never popped up on a reading list at Cal.
Thanks for the post/links; links. Interesting, educational.
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