Product DescriptionA gripping modern-day detective story about the scientific quest to understand the Oracle of Delphi
Like Walking the Bible, this fascinating book turns a modern eye on an enduring legend. The Oracle of Delphi was one of the most influential figures in ancient Greece. Human mistress of the god Apollo, she had the power to enter into ecstatic communion with him and deliver his prophesies to men. Thousands of years later, Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist William J. Broad follows a crew of enterprising researchers as they sift through the evidence of history, geology, and archaeology to revealas far as science is ablethe source of her visions.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Nice, Popularized Narrative of Interdisciplinary Detective Work at Delphi
Mr. Broad does a good job of weaving together the ancient, mystical accounts of the Oracle at Delphi with findings from "modern" excavations starting in the late 1800s up to the 2000s.
Broad's accounting is semi-academic because the content is generally accessible to the average reader. Mr. Broad definitely makes the subject matter interesting and informative. His narrative involves archaeology, geology, chemistry, human physiology, etc. The narrative generally stays on-topic with ... Read More
Rating: - Great book!
After coming back from Greece and having visited the site of Delphi's Temple of Apollo and Temple of Athena, it was so fascinating to read this book and learn so much of the history of the legends and mythology, as well as read a modern scientific endeavor story about how geology and chemistry can still make an impact in the understanding of what was suggested to have happened there. I wish I had read this book before going to Greece!
Rating: - Mostly a detective story
The author takes us along on a journey to discover whether the ancient myths about the Oracle of Delphi have any scientific basis. We become convinced that there were indeed gases that may have overcome the oracle and influenced her prophecies. However, Broad abandons his scientific stance at the end of the book to discuss telepathy and other "spiritual" concepts that are unproven and perhaps unprovable. This will appeal to some readers but not to others, and seems out of keeping with the preceding ... Read More
Rating: - What a Read!
This was an amazing book. It's about scientific research, but it reads like a leisure novel. It goes over the entire history of the Oracle of Delphi and all of her influences on the world of ancient Greece and the world of today. I originally checked it out from a public library and decided I had to have it in my collection, and I bought an extra copy to send to a friend. That's how much I enjoyed this book.
Rating: - The fumes of Apollo
I purchased this book because I have been to Delphi, and loving Greek and Ancient Roman History I have always read about the Oracle.
This book starts with the entire story of who were the Oracles.How they became Oracles.Plutarc who was a priest at the Apollo Temple describes the frenzies of these young women and later by mature women. How did they go on a trance, were they really prophetic or was it that somebody told them what to say? Were there faults under the Temple that drugged these women? ... Read More
- Nice, Popularized Narrative of Interdisciplinary Detective Work at Delphi
- Mostly a detective story
- What a Read!
