Delphi retains many archaeological remains relating to the Pythian Games. The stadium and gymnasium have survived, as have votive offerings of the victors.

The Pythian Games at Delphi were part of the festival of Apollo. The games occurred every four years, with each Pythiad marking the halfway point to the Olympics.

Initially, the contests were musical, but athletic and equestrian events were added to the programme in the sixth century BC. Archaeologists have excavated many of the venues for these events at Delphi, including the stadium and gymnasium. As at Olympia, many of their finds included votive offerings. These offerings are significant in that they can help identify who competed in the Pythian Games.

Ancient Greek Sports at Delphi 

The athletic contests and equestrian events added to the programme of the games after 586BC were similar to those held at Olympia. They included:

• Dolichos or long-distance foot race
• Diaulos or boy’s two stade foot race
• Stadion or Stade — a race within the stadium.
• Hoplite race or the race in full armour
• Tethrippos Dromos or four-horse chariot race
•  Synoris or two-horse chariot race
•  Keles— a race of mounted riders.

The Stadium and Gymnasium of Delphi

Archaeological evidence for the sports venues and training facilities was discovered at Delphi’s highest and lowest points. However, the most complete excavated remains consist of the stadium and the gymnasium.

Delphi’s stadium is the best preserved in Greece. It is situated above the sacred temenos, making it the highest situated structure on the site. Built in the fifth century BC, the stadium was further embellished during the second century AD.

The archaeological remains of the stadium are impressive. To the north were twelve rows of seating, hewn from the natural rock. In the south, there was space for an additional six rows and the track was decorated with a line of second century roman arches. The racing area maintains its start and finishing lines, complete with the runner’s grooves still in situ.

One interesting feature on the retaining wall of the stadium is a fourth century BC inscription forbidding the drinking of wine in the stadium. A five drachma fine was levied on anyone who broke the rule.

The Gymnasium and Palaestra were situated below the temenos of Apollo, close to the temple of Athena Pronaia. The remains on site today date to the fourth century BC.

Locals and athletes in training used the facilities, which spread across two terraces. On the upper terrace were two practice running tracks. The indoor track or xystos had a roofed colonnade to protect athletes from the elements. Next door was an open-air paradromis for sports training.

Below on the lower terrace was the palaestra, used for wrestling. There was also changing areas for the athletes, consisting of dressing rooms and a large, round pool for bathing.

Victors and Votive Offerings: The Charioteer of Delphi

Prizes for the victors of the Pythian Games were similar to those at Olympia and included gold tripods and crowns of laurel leaves, which were sacred to Apollo. In turn, the winners showed gratitude for their victories by dedicating offerings in the sacred temenos.

Many remaining offerings are preserved in the museum of Delphi. Perhaps the most elaborate and well known is the charioteer of Delphi. Dedicated by Polyzalos, the tyrant of Gela in Sicily, it is the only figure to survive from a larger piece that featured four horses and a groom. 

Dating to the fifth century BC — the early classical period — the charioteer was made by wax casting, a new technique that gave statues a more lifelike pose. The charioteer’s eyes of white paste with dark stone pupils remain and seem to follow spectators about the room.

Although Polyzalos named himself the victor in his race, he was not the driver, only the sponsor. His victorious charioteer remained uncommemorated. 

Other finds reveal further interesting information about the competitors of the Pythian Games. An inscription dated to 50AD proves that some competitors were women, who may have competed in exclusively female races or the boy’s events. 

The women in question were three sisters who were winners not only at the Pythian Games but other Pan-Hellenic competitions. The inscription details their dedication of a set of statues of themselves — now lost — to commemorate their victories. According to the plaque, one, Tryphosa won the stadion at Delphi and the Isthmian games — the first woman to do so. Her sister, Hedea, won the chariot race.

Sources

Gates, C, 2003 Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome. Routledge: London and New York.

Konstantinou, I K, 1995. Delphi: The Oracle and its Role in the Political and social life of the Greeks. Athens: Hannibal.

Ingpen, R and Wilkinson, P, 1990 Encyclopaedia of Mysterious Places —The Life and Legends of Ancient Sites Worldwide. Guild Publishing: London.