According to the legend, the first temple of Apollo in Delphi was made of laurel, then of beewax and feather, then of bronze.
Historically, we know that there was a temple by the end of the 7th century BC, which was burnt down in 548. The reconstruction started around 534 and completed in 513-505 by the Alkmaeonids, wealthy and powerful Athenian family then in exile. This 6th century temple was ruined by the eathquake of 373 BC and the present temple was built in 366-c. 329 by Xenodoros and Agathon. It was again ravaged by the Thracians in 88BC and later by Sulla. The emperor Domitian restored. it.
The Doric temple of 4th century was made of the platform of limestone and of the columns of Corinthian poros stone. It is 22m wide and 60m long, number of columns are 6 by 15. The arrangement inside is difficult to know as was almost totally destroyed. Pausanias describes the sculpture of pediments and mentions that shields of Persians and Gauls were hung either on metopes or on architrave.
The sculptures belonging to the temple are how housed in the room VI of the museum of Delphi.
The central piece (in the photo) in the room belongs to the Alkmaeonid temple of the late 6th century. It was part of the pediment at the east end and measures 2.35m high and 19.40m wide. It represent the "Epiphany of Apollo at Delphi". At the centre is the four-horsed chariot of the god. The two female figures by the horses are probably Leto and Artemis, mother and sister of Apollo.
The work is attributed to the Athenian sculptor Antenor.
This statue of young Dionysos instead belonged to the fourth century temple. The pedimental sculptures were the works of the Athenian sculptors Praxias and Androsthenes. The statue of Dionysos was on the west pediment and on the east pediment was the group of Apollo, Leto and Artemis.
Reference
- Robin Barber, Greece (Blue Guide), London- N.Y. 2001 (Revised reprint of the 6th edition of 1995), pp. 389-399.
- Christopher Mee & Antony Spawforth, Greece (An Oxford Archaeological Guide). Oxford/ OUP, 2001, p. 309-310.
- Photios Petsas, Delphi : Monuments and Museum. Athens : Krene Editions, 2008, pp. 94-96.
- Information boards in the museum
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