In ancient Greece, a Delphinion (ancient Greek: Δελφίνιον) was a temple of Apollo Delphinios ("Apollo of the womb") also known as "Delphic Apollo" or "Pythian Apollo", the principal god of Delphi

Delphi

Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis.In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world, and a major site for the worship of the god...

, who was regarded as the protector of ports and ships.

The ruin of the Delphinion in Miletus

Miletus

Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...

 is still mostly standing.

The Delphinion in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 near the Acropolis

Acropolis

Acropolis means "high city" in Greek, literally city on the extremity and is usually translated into English as Citadel . For purposes of defense, early people naturally chose elevated ground to build a new settlement, frequently a hill with precipitous sides...

 contained a court of law, which was used to try homicide

Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...

 cases where the accused had claimed the defence of justifiable homicide

Justifiable homicide

The United States' concept of justifiable homicide in criminal law stands on the dividing line between an excuse, justification and an exculpation. It is different from other forms of homicide in that due to certain circumstances the homicide is justified as preventing greater harm to innocents...

.

External links

• Perseus Building Catalog: Miletus, Delphinion
• Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: The Athenian Court and the American Court System, by Henry A. Rhodes