Abae

Abae was an ancient town located in the northeastern part of ancient Phocis in Greece, close to the borders of the Opuntian Locrians. According to legend, the town was founded by Abas, an Argive who was the son of Lynceus and Hypermnestra and the grandson of Danaus. This legend hints that Abae might have existed as early as the Bronze Age.

The town is best known for its important oracle of Apollo Abaeus. This oracle was famous in ancient times and was consulted by important figures such as Croesus, the king of Lydia, and Mardonius. In modern times, the site of this oracle was found at Kalapodi and has been excavated. The excavations show that people lived there from the Early Bronze Age all the way through to the Roman Period.

History

Before a big invasion by the Persians, the temple in Abae was filled with treasures and gifts given to the gods. Sadly, the temple was destroyed by fire twice — once during the invasion led by Xerxes in 480 BCE, and again later during a war in 346 BCE. The Roman emperor Hadrian later rebuilt the temple, and near the old ruins, he built a smaller temple. This new temple held three very old statues made of brass, showing the gods Apollo, Leto, and Artemis. Even after these events, the old marketplace and theatre in the town were still standing when the traveler Pausanias visited. According to the writer Aristotle, who was mentioned by Strabo, some people from Abae moved to the island of Euboea and gave its people the name Abantes.

Oracle

Even though the town was destroyed, people still visited its oracle for advice. For example, the Thebans asked the oracle before a big battle called the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BCE. The temple and village might have survived a big war called the Third Sacred War because people respected the people living there. Later, when a traveler named Pausanias saw it in the 2nd century CE, it was in bad shape. But a kind ruler named Emperor Hadrian helped fix it up a bit.

The special place where the oracle was located, near a modern village called Kalapodi, is very important for learning about old religions. People used it for special ceremonies from very early times, called the Mycenaean period, all the way through to later times called the Roman period. This shows that the same religion continued for many years.

Some old stone walls of a place called the Sanctuary of Artemis at Hyampolis can still be seen today. They were studied by a group from the British School at Athens long ago.

Attribution

This article uses text from an old book that is now free for everyone to read. The book is called Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography by William Smith, published in London in 1854–1857.