Phocis, Delphoi, and the Amphictyony

Abstract I have argued before that we should accept Noel Robertson’s view that the First Sacred War is a fictional event, invented largely for political reasons in the 4th century B.C. Yet, historians have remained sceptical of Robertson’s arguments, and continue to try to shape their account of the 6th century B.C. at Delphoi around a non-existent war. There are better explanations for the key phenomena at Delphoi. The existence of the sacred land can be seen as an organic development in an area dominated by pastoral farming in a period when Greeks were reluctant to live close to the sea. The establishment of the amphictyony at Delphoi, for which the archaeological evidence is less decisive than has been claimed, is more likely a partnership for the solution of financial problems than a hostile takeover in the context of a war. Finally, Delphoi developed as a major sanctuary before the full conceptualisation of the Phocian ethnos, and later Phocian claims to Delphoi should be read as political propaganda, not as history.

Keywords Delphoi, Phocis, amphictyony, sacred land, temple building