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skylarkochava's review
3.0
My theory: this book is a doctoral thesis. The topic is interesting, the facts are detailed and fascinating, but the text presupposes a high level of knowledge and is written in pretty dense prose. It's a slog, but I found the details and ideas presented interesting enough to keep chipping away at it. Despite having 422 pages, the text is actually 290 pages. That's how extensive the notes and index are, plus a brief textual "guided tour" of the site. But it felt like reading a book of 422 pages.
The biggest problem is that the text assumes a great deal of knowledge from the reader in Greek (Roman, etc) history and archaeology. Many Greek and Latin terms are given without translation, and major historical figures (to someone familiar with the era) are given no introduction or context. Even technical terms like the archaic and classical periods for Delphi are thrown around without any explanation as to when those periods are or why there is a distinction between them.
Other major beef: pictures and portrayals are not dated or contextualized. I also wish the pictures had been more big-picture. There are some watercolors of what it might have looked like, but they're hard to imagine. Also, some major topics of discussion have no portrayal at all, such as a view from the Athena temple that is the "popular tourist vision" of Delphi. But I have no idea what that picture is.
My guess is that the central thesis of this project is looking at the dedications (statues, inscriptions, etc) placed around Delphi's religious structures and how those dedications show an attempt to re-cast history by the person/group who dedicated it. The discussions of how groups used statues to effectively re-write history is fascinating, but it's also incredibly detail-oriented about who purchased what, where the materials came from, inscription text, etc. That's the main slog. Similarly, I found the historical context to be very shallow, only enough to justify the author's theory about a particular dedication. I would have liked a more reader-friendly general view of Delphi. This is a textbook supplement, not something you're going to curl up with at the fireplace. However, hardcore nerds and history buffs can probably get through the minutiae, especially if you have some background in Greek history.
I hope the author attempts this subject again with a more "pop culture" version because occasionally, the author's personality comes through with really great turns of phrase and a really nuanced perspective. But his voice is usually buried underneath wordy, convoluted academic-speak. Main exception: the chapter about the modern re-discovery of Delphi, which I found really enjoyable.
The biggest problem is that the text assumes a great deal of knowledge from the reader in Greek (Roman, etc) history and archaeology. Many Greek and Latin terms are given without translation, and major historical figures (to someone familiar with the era) are given no introduction or context. Even technical terms like the archaic and classical periods for Delphi are thrown around without any explanation as to when those periods are or why there is a distinction between them.
Other major beef: pictures and portrayals are not dated or contextualized. I also wish the pictures had been more big-picture. There are some watercolors of what it might have looked like, but they're hard to imagine. Also, some major topics of discussion have no portrayal at all, such as a view from the Athena temple that is the "popular tourist vision" of Delphi. But I have no idea what that picture is.
My guess is that the central thesis of this project is looking at the dedications (statues, inscriptions, etc) placed around Delphi's religious structures and how those dedications show an attempt to re-cast history by the person/group who dedicated it. The discussions of how groups used statues to effectively re-write history is fascinating, but it's also incredibly detail-oriented about who purchased what, where the materials came from, inscription text, etc. That's the main slog. Similarly, I found the historical context to be very shallow, only enough to justify the author's theory about a particular dedication. I would have liked a more reader-friendly general view of Delphi. This is a textbook supplement, not something you're going to curl up with at the fireplace. However, hardcore nerds and history buffs can probably get through the minutiae, especially if you have some background in Greek history.
I hope the author attempts this subject again with a more "pop culture" version because occasionally, the author's personality comes through with really great turns of phrase and a really nuanced perspective. But his voice is usually buried underneath wordy, convoluted academic-speak. Main exception: the chapter about the modern re-discovery of Delphi, which I found really enjoyable.
lyrajock's review
3.0
If reading history is solely to find out information on a subject, this book does the job. I learned quite a bit about a subject I only knew in passing rather than in any depth. However, the author does not help make this quite the engrossing read that I was hoping for. Mostly a dry read from start to finish, although the end has a more interesting narrative learning about the discovery and recent excavations of Delphi. While we learn much about what made Delphi special to the ancients, the author spends too much time listing artifacts with no accompanying pictures. Whole paragraphs/pages can be devoted endless listing, which just ends up feeling like wasted space with no analysis.
cymry09's review
3.0
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it was informative and detailed, and it covered lots of interesting topics. However, I found it difficult to get through, either due to an often overwhelming litany of “so-and-so, King of such-a-place, son of this-guy, who fought in the battle of what’s-it, came to Delphi in this century”, or due to a simple lack of focus on my part - probably a bit of both. The historical aspect was often terribly dry, and the description of the monuments and dedications would have been vastly improved by the addition of some decent illustrations.
The blurb calls it “richly illustrated”... I beg to differ. A handful of plates in the middle, and a few illustrations and maps are about all there is until you reach the final few chapters, where there is suddenly a wealth of very welcome archaeological photos. The illustrations provided are also VERY small, and hard to make out in their black and white, in-text format. I was left wishing for detailed views, elevations, anything to give us a better idea. While it is, of course, impossible to say exactly what Delphi looked like, there is plenty of archaeological and literary evidence to give us clues.
Also, the book is laser-focused on the history of Delphi and situating it in the larger Greek world, particularly explaining its rise to prominence and how it achieved that. This aspect is covered well and in depth. However, there is a notable lack of explanation of the oracle’s activities or even the day to day activities of Delphi. It was almost as if the Pythia was herself missing from the history. I was disappointed not to read more about the oracles themselves, or even about the priests, the villagers, the attendants...
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but be prepared for a long history lesson.
The blurb calls it “richly illustrated”... I beg to differ. A handful of plates in the middle, and a few illustrations and maps are about all there is until you reach the final few chapters, where there is suddenly a wealth of very welcome archaeological photos. The illustrations provided are also VERY small, and hard to make out in their black and white, in-text format. I was left wishing for detailed views, elevations, anything to give us a better idea. While it is, of course, impossible to say exactly what Delphi looked like, there is plenty of archaeological and literary evidence to give us clues.
Also, the book is laser-focused on the history of Delphi and situating it in the larger Greek world, particularly explaining its rise to prominence and how it achieved that. This aspect is covered well and in depth. However, there is a notable lack of explanation of the oracle’s activities or even the day to day activities of Delphi. It was almost as if the Pythia was herself missing from the history. I was disappointed not to read more about the oracles themselves, or even about the priests, the villagers, the attendants...
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but be prepared for a long history lesson.
hilaritas's review against another edition
3.0
This is a very interesting and comprehensive account of Delphi from its earliest days through the present, written in the sort of flat, artless prose that suggests an adapted dissertation. Parts of the book were really fascinating, driven by the sheer propulsiveness of the historical role of the site. Other parts drag interminably, particularly the cataloging of archaeological digs that makes up the epigraph. Overall, I came away fascinated by the role that Delphi played in the wider culture of antiquity, and how the success and usefulness of the oracle came not from definitive predictions of the future, but through responses that encouraged further discussion and political debate before taking action. I also was shocked to learn that the Pythia really only took consultations for a handful of days in the year (one day a month for nine months of the year). It's clear that the purpose of the oracle is to slow down and inject some deliberation into decision-making, not to offer a shortcut answer. I think that really turns on its head the modern concept of what an oracle would be like. Also fascinating is the Amphictyony (the counsel of poleis that partially governed the shrine) and its interplay with the city of Delphi. The political structures that surround an institution that lasted over a thousand years were both pliable and yet remarkably consistent. This book is worth reading for even a handful of insights into topics like this.
eddie's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable and comprehensive account of Delphi from its origins to the present. Although it disappeared from view at the close of the Classical era for 800 years, in both its modern and ancient incarnations Delphi seems remarkably adept at absorbing huge amounts of other people’s money (the French paid handsomely for the privilege of excavating it in the late 19th century). The book follows the remarkable story of how Delphi negotiated the massive shifts in politics over its 1000 year active history. I particularly liked the way the book’s Delphi POV cast a refreshingly different take on important events in Greek history - from the development of Democracy in Athens, to the Peloponesian War, to the rise of Alexander the Great, and then throughout the Roman period, Delphi was always close to the centre of events. It even raised statues commemorating the early Christian emperors, before it was finally closed down.
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