More Tales of the Pythia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Delphians

In 480 BC the Persians, under the leadership of Xerxes, returned to Greece. Needless to say, many of the Greek city-states found this invasion alarming. They had allowed ten years to pass since the first invasion, but hadn't made any attempt to protect their homeland from further Persian attack. Xerxes had amassed an invasion force that the historian Herodotus said numbered over 2.6 million men and 1200 warships.

Many of the Greek city-states consulted the Pythia, seeking her guidance and advice.

This was the answer the Delphians received; some believe that the oracle was attempting to assure the people that there was at least some hope of victory. As it turned out, as the Persian navy approached Cape Artemisium during the Battle of Thermopylae, a mighty storm not only kept the fleet at bay for three days, but destroyed about 20% of the ships in the process.

The great Athenian navy was able to hold its own after the Persians finally arrived. And - most importantly - the winds did not harm the Athenian fleet.

Answer: Socrates

It must be noted here that the question "Is there any man alive wiser than Socrates"? was not asked by Socrates himself, although he did spend time at Delphi and took one of the sayings from the oracle, "Know Thyself", as his own motto. The question was reportedly posed by one of his friends, Chaerephon, sometime around 440 BC.

There are a couple of different versions of the Pythia's response. Some sources say "None", while others say, "Sophocles is wise, Euripides is wiser, but of all men Socrates is wisest". Asking such a question and receiving the answer must have perplexed Socrates, as it appears that he spent some time questioning other so-called "wise people" in an attempt to disprove what the oracle had said.

His reply was ""what I do not know I do not think I know"; in other words, he was wiser than all others because he was aware of his own ignorance.

Answer: Croesus

Croesus, the legendary king of Lydia, decided that the Pythia's oracle at Delphi was the most accurate after sending ambassadors to several oracles to ask the same question - what was the king doing back home in Lydia on a certain day? He had put pieces of tortoise and lamb together in a kettle and the Pythia (somehow) nailed the answer. So, as many did before engaging in war, he returned with a question before his planned invasion of Persia.

The story of the downfall of the great empire is well known; it is also an example of how the rather vague responses of the Pythia could work in more than one way. Think about it - if two sides go to war, it stands to reason that one side will be destroyed. Croesus was just so egotistical that it never occurred to him that it would be his empire that was destroyed.

Answer: Athens

In 490 BC, after the Persians were defeated at Marathon, Darius the Great decided to send the Persian army home. Ten years later, however, the Persians returned to Greece under the leadership of his son, Xerxes. Three hundred of the greatest Spartan soldiers had been slaughtered at Thermopylae, and the Persians would make their way to Attica, the land where Athens was located, in a few days. What were the Athenians to do? They consulted the oracle.

While there was a few who believed that the wooden wall was the fence around the Acropolis, others were not so sure. Most of the people were evacuated from the city to the island of Salamis; those who stayed were dead in a short time and the sacred Acropolis was in ruins. One of the Athenian generals, Themistocles, was convinced that the "wall of wood" was the Athenian fleet of ships.

There were some members of the Greek war council who disagreed, however, that was a common occurrence. Themistocles stood his ground, and kept the Athenian ships in the narrow straits near Salamis after telling his allies that he would withdraw Athenian help if his commands were not followed. Misinformed by a spy, Xerxes sent his ships to attack an Athenian fleet that was outnumbered three to one.

His ships, however, were larger and unable to maneuver in the narrow straits. The battle was a rout, and soon the Persian army, starving and utterly defeated, would leave Greece - never to return.

Answer: Byzas

The Pythia was not only consulted before war, her advice was also sought before colonies were established. Byzas, the son of the king of Megara, was sent by his father to establish a colony "opposite the blind". Many Greek colonies had been founded in the area around the Black Sea; so many, in fact, that it was called Euximus Pontus or "hospitable sea".

It was in that direction that Byzas sailed, however, when he reached the end of the Sea of Marmara, right before entering the Black Sea, he realized where he could built his colony.

At that point there was a narrow strait which is called the Bosporus today; the Greeks had already founded a colony called Chalcedon on what is considered to be the Asian side of of the strait. But, Byzas concluded, they must have been blind to have not noticed that the other side of the strait, today the European side, had the better location. Like Chalcedon, ancient Byzantium was at the crossroads of trade between Asia and Europe and controlled entrance into not only the Black Sea, but the Aegean Sea as well. Byzantium, however, was bordered by water on three sides, making the city easily defended. Byzantium was eventually taken by the Romans and became the city of Constantinople, the capital of their eastern empire. Today it is known as Istanbul.

Answer: Lycurgus

According to tradition, Lycurgus was the king of Sparta who passed laws that established the Spartan way of life in the 800s BC. He did this, however, after consulting the Pythia at Delphi. In accordance with the answer from the oracle, he created a society where all of the citizens (but not the slaves) were equal before the law and had an equal distribution of land.

In accordance with his laws that stressed equality, all Spartan men - even the king - were expected to contribute to the food store and eat in a communal dining hall, instead of eating at home with their wives. Lycurgus forbade the use of gold and silver coin and used a poor grade of iron currency instead.

Although there isn't a lot of information available concerning the use of this type of currency, it is believed that the currency was essentially of no value, hard to carry and use, and discouraged trade with others.

The Spartans had to depend upon themselves and allies for what they needed, which was good for the polis; contact with outside people was strictly forbidden.

Answer: Philip II

While the ancient Greeks would have believed that the Macedonians were barbarians, the two groups did share many cultural attributes. After spending three years as a hostage in the Greek polis of Thebes, the future Philip II understood the importance of consulting the Pythia at Delphi.

In 359 BC, the same year he consulted the oracle, he was appointed to service as regent for his nephew and began planning a coup. Three years later, after receiving news of the birth of his son, he declared himself king, and put his plan into action.

He took over silver mines in nearby territories and used the wealth to build an army, complete with a cavalry unit called the King's Companions, in addition to siege weapons and ships. The wealth from the silver mines enabled Philip to begin his conquest of Greece, eventually forcing most of the city-states to become part of his League of Corinth.

He was planning a conquest of Persia when he was assassinated.

Answer: Nero

It was written that when Nero was thirty years old he decided that he wanted to know how long he would remain as emperor. After chastising him, the Pythia continued to say, "Go back, matricide! The number 73 marks the hour of your downfall"! Eight years earlier he had decided to have his mother, the infamous Agripinna, killed. Even though it took a bit of doing (the first two assassination attempts were unsuccessful), Nero did order her death.

He did believe, however, that he received the news he wanted, deciding that he would die at age seventy-three.

As it turned out, a seventy-three year old retired military officer, Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Augustus, would lead a revolt and seize the throne after the Nero's suicide. Getting back to Nero's time at Delphi, it must be noted that he did not take the chiding from the Pythia with grace.

While some source said he had her burned alive, others claim that she was buried alive. In addition, he took a reported 500 of the best bronze statues at the temple back to Rome with him.

Answer: Alexander the Great

The Pythia only gave prophecies at Delphi once a month; from November-Febrary the oracle was completely closed. Alexander's father, Philip II, was dead - killed by an assassin. Understandably there was a lot for Alexander to do. He had to deal with numerous revolts in the kingdom, and he also wanted to begin the planned expedition against the Persians. Apparently Alexander arrived at Delphi in November because sources tell that the guards at the building told him the oracle was not open, and to come back in February. Alexander was not, however, inclined to wait.

He reportedly seized the Pythia and forced her to the sacred place within the temple. She reportedly said, "You are invincible. You will not be defeated in battle". It's always interesting to think about what might have happened had Alexander lived longer; it is true, however, that the prophecy came true during his brief life.

Answer: Solon

In the 7th century BC, Athens, according to Aristotle, was a city that was divided by class struggles. Many of the smaller farmers and common people had fallen into debt, and the political power was held by the wealthy, who had passed laws giving them the right to seize the property of debtors and send them into slavery. Draco was appointed in 621 BC to codify the laws of Athens, but the expiration of his term of office left much undone. Solon, who took office in 594 BC, was given unlimited power to pass laws that would benefit Athens, although it was understood that he would leave Athens when his task was complete.

When he consulted the Pythia before taking office, he was told, "Seat yourself now amidships, for you are the pilot of Athens. Grasp the helm fast in your hands; you have many allies in your city".

Not only did Solon make reforms that re-established order between the classes, but he also developed the economy of Athens, make judicial reforms, and established the basis for citizenship that eventually led to the great Athenians democracy.