Abae
Encyclopedia
Abae is an ancient town in the northeastern corner of Phocis
, in Greece
. It was famous in antiquity for its oracle
of Apollo
Abaeus
, one of those consulted by Croesus
, king of Lydia
, and Mardonius
, among others.
It was rich in treasures, but was destroyed by the Persians in the invasion of Xerxes
in 480 BCE, and a second time by the Boeotia
ns and remained in a ruined state.It was rebuilt by Hadrian
.
The oracle was, however, still consulted, e.g. by the Thebans before Leuctra
in 371 BCE. The temple seems to have been burnt again during the Third Sacred War
(355–346 BCE), and was in a very dilapidated state when seen by Pausanias
in the 2nd century CE, though some restoration, as well as the building of a new temple, was undertaken by Emperor Hadrian
.
The sanctity of the shrine ensured certain privileges to the people of Abae, and these were confirmed by the Romans.
Among the most exciting archaeological discoveries in Greece in the past few years is the recognition that the sanctuary site near the modern village of Kalapodi
is not only the site of the oracle of Apollon at Abai but that it was in constant use for cult practices from early Mycenaean
times to the Roman period. It is thus the first site where the archaeology confirms the continuity of Mycenaean and Classical Greek religion, which has been inferred from the presence of the names of Classical Greek divinities on Linear B
texts from Pylos
and Knossos
.
The fortified site described below, originally identified as Abae by Colonel William Leake
in the 19th century, is much more likely to be that of the Sanctuary of Artemis at Hyampolis.
The polygonal walls of the acropolis may still be seen in a fair state of preservation on a circular hill standing about 500 ft (152.4 m) above the little plain of Exarcho; one gateway remains, and there are also traces of town walls below. The temple site was on a low spur of the hill, below the town. An early terrace wall supports a precinct in which are a stoa
and some remains of temples; these were excavated by the British School at Athens
in 1894, but little was found.
Phocis
Phocis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. It stretches from the western mountainsides of Parnassus on the east to the mountain range of Vardousia on the west, upon the Gulf of Corinth...
, in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It was famous in antiquity for its oracle
Oracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
Abaeus
Abaeus
Apollo Abaeus was a toponymic epithet of the Greek god Apollo, derived from the town of Abae in Phocis, where the god had a rich temple renowned for its oracles, which were said to have been consulted by Croesus and Mardonius, among others....
, one of those consulted by Croesus
Croesus
Croesus was the king of Lydia from 560 to 547 BC until his defeat by the Persians. The fall of Croesus made a profound impact on the Hellenes, providing a fixed point in their calendar. "By the fifth century at least," J.A.S...
, king of Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
, and Mardonius
Mardonius
Mardonius was a leading Persian military commander during the Persian Wars with Greece in the early 5th century BC.-Early years:Mardonius was the son of Gobryas, a Persian nobleman who had assisted the Achaemenid prince Darius when he claimed the throne...
, among others.
It was rich in treasures, but was destroyed by the Persians in the invasion of Xerxes
Xerxes I of Persia
Xerxes I of Persia , Ḫšayāršā, ), also known as Xerxes the Great, was the fifth king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire.-Youth and rise to power:...
in 480 BCE, and a second time by the Boeotia
Boeotia
Boeotia, also spelled Beotia and Bœotia , is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. It was also a region of ancient Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, the second largest city being Thebes.-Geography:...
ns and remained in a ruined state.It was rebuilt by Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
.
The oracle was, however, still consulted, e.g. by the Thebans before Leuctra
Leuctra
Leuctra was a village in ancient Greece, in Boeotia, seven miles southwest of Thebes. It is primarily known today as the site of the important 371 BC Battle of Leuctra in which the Thebans, under Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans...
in 371 BCE. The temple seems to have been burnt again during the Third Sacred War
Third Sacred War
The Third Sacred War was fought between the forces of the Delphic Amphictyonic League, principally represented by Thebes, and latterly by Philip II of Macedon, and the Phocians...
(355–346 BCE), and was in a very dilapidated state when seen by Pausanias
Pausanias (geographer)
Pausanias was a Greek traveler and geographer of the 2nd century AD, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. He is famous for his Description of Greece , a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece from firsthand observations, and is a crucial link between classical...
in the 2nd century CE, though some restoration, as well as the building of a new temple, was undertaken by Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
.
The sanctity of the shrine ensured certain privileges to the people of Abae, and these were confirmed by the Romans.
Among the most exciting archaeological discoveries in Greece in the past few years is the recognition that the sanctuary site near the modern village of Kalapodi
Kalapodi
Kalapodi is a village in the Lokroi municipality, Phthiotis, Central Greece. The name also denotes an archaeological site ca. 1 km east of the village, where an ancient sanctuary was discovered. Cult activity here seems to have begun in the late Bronze Age and continued without break into the...
is not only the site of the oracle of Apollon at Abai but that it was in constant use for cult practices from early Mycenaean
Helladic period
Helladic is a modern archaeological term meant to identify a sequence of periods characterizing the culture of mainland ancient Greece during the Bronze Age. The term is commonly used in archaeology and art history...
times to the Roman period. It is thus the first site where the archaeology confirms the continuity of Mycenaean and Classical Greek religion, which has been inferred from the presence of the names of Classical Greek divinities on Linear B
Linear B
Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, an early form of Greek. It pre-dated the Greek alphabet by several centuries and seems to have died out with the fall of Mycenaean civilization...
texts from Pylos
Pylos
Pylos , historically known under its Italian name Navarino, is a town and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It was the capital of the former...
and Knossos
Knossos
Knossos , also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and probably the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living spaces, and store rooms close to a central square...
.
The fortified site described below, originally identified as Abae by Colonel William Leake
William Leake
William Leake, father and son , were London publishers and booksellers of the late sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries...
in the 19th century, is much more likely to be that of the Sanctuary of Artemis at Hyampolis.
The polygonal walls of the acropolis may still be seen in a fair state of preservation on a circular hill standing about 500 ft (152.4 m) above the little plain of Exarcho; one gateway remains, and there are also traces of town walls below. The temple site was on a low spur of the hill, below the town. An early terrace wall supports a precinct in which are a stoa
Stoa
Stoa in Ancient Greek architecture; covered walkways or porticos, commonly for public usage. Early stoae were open at the entrance with columns, usually of the Doric order, lining the side of the building; they created a safe, enveloping, protective atmosphere.Later examples were built as two...
and some remains of temples; these were excavated by the British School at Athens
British School at Athens
The British School at Athens is one of the 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes in Athens, Greece.-General information:The School was founded in 1886 as the fourth such institution in Greece...
in 1894, but little was found.