Pausanias' description of Delphi

The tenth book of the work Description of Greece by the traveler Pausanias (2nd century A.D.) is dedicated to Phocis; its larger part constitutes a description of the sanctuaries and buildings of Delphi. His work constituted a precious aid to travelers and archaeologists who attempted to identify the monuments revealed by the excavations, although in some cases their identifications were not enough.

A traveler and geographer of the 2nd century A.D. Pausanias was most probably born in Lydia (Asia Minor) and wrote a very important work, the Description of Greece. It is a lengthy and detailed itinerary in ten books, describing the most important sites of the Peloponnese, Attica, Boeotia and Phocis. According to the famous classicist James Frazer who wrote on Pausanias, "without him the ruins of Greece would be a labyrinth without a clue, a riddle without an answer". He was mainly interested in monuments (particularly sculpture and painting) as well as their historical framework and the cults.

As in the rest of his books in his description of Delphi Pausanias describes rituals, rites, customs and offers narrations with a historical and ethnographic background. Delphi are described in 38 chapters. The limit of his itinerary was the land of the Ozolian Locrians. The book was probably accomplished between 143 and 161 A.D.

The detailed description of Pausanias was valuable to later scholarship and to the attempts at reconstructing the site. Although the treasures of Delphi had been looted by the Phoceans initially and by Roman emperors such as Nero later on, in Pausanias' times there were still enough monuments to admire and describe. He focuses on religious art and architecture. He is very detailed on the narration of the Oedipus myth, on the foundation of the oracle and temple of Apollo, on the Pythian Games and on the description of the ex votos. He also writes about historical events related to Delphi as well as about mythical events and scenes.

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