Editing Delphi (section)

===Influence, devastations and a temporary revival===
The Delphic oracle exerted considerable influence throughout the Greek world, and she was consulted before all major undertakings including wars and the founding of [[Greek colonies|colonies]].{{efn|Because the founding of the city was for the Greeks, as it had been for earlier cultures, primarily a religious act, Delphi naturally assumed charge of the new foundations; and especially in the early period of colonization, the Pythian Apollo gave specific advice that dispatched new colonies in every direction, under the aegis of Apollo. Few cities would undertake such an expedition without consulting the oracle. Thus at a moment when the growth of population might have led to congestion within the city, to random emigration, or to conflicts for arable land in the more densely populated regions, Delphi, willy-nilly, faced the problem and conducted a program of organized dispersal.<ref>[[Lewis Mumford]], ''[[The City in History]]''. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1961; p. 140.</ref>}} She also was respected by the Greek-influenced countries around the periphery of the Greek world, such as [[Lydia]], [[Caria]], and even [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]].

The oracle was also known to the early Romans. Rome's seventh and last [[King of Rome|king]], [[Lucius Tarquinius Superbus]], after witnessing a snake near his palace, sent a delegation including two of his sons to consult the oracle.<ref>Livy, [[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]], 1.56</ref>

In 278 BC, a Thracian (Celtic) tribe raided Delphi, burned the temple, plundered the sanctuary and stole the "unquenchable fire" from the altar. During the raid, part of the temple roof collapsed.<ref name=Lampsas>Lampsas Giannis (1984) ''Dictionary of the Ancient World (Lexiko tou Archaiou Kosmou)'', Vol. I, Athens, Domi Publications, pp. 761–762</ref> The same year, the temple was severely damaged by an earthquake, thus it fell into decay and the surrounding area became impoverished. The sparse local population led to difficulties in filling the posts required. The oracle's credibility waned due to doubtful predictions.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wood |first= Michael |title=The road to Delphi : the life and afterlife of oracles|date=2003|publisher=Farrar, Straus, and Giroux|isbn=0-374-52610-9|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=52090516}}</ref>

The oracle flourished again in the second century AD, during the rule of emperor [[Hadrian]], who is believed to have visited the oracle twice and offered complete autonomy to the city.<ref name=Lampsas/> By the 4th century, Delphi had acquired the status of a [[city]].<ref name="ODB">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Delphi |last=Gregory |first=Timothy E. |page=602 |editor-first=Alexander |editor-last=Kazhdan |editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan |encyclopedia=[[Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium]] |location=London; New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1991 |isbn=978-0-19-504652-6}}</ref>

[[Constantine the Great]] looted several monuments in Eastern Mediterranean, including Delphi, to decorate his new capital, [[Constantinople]]. One of those famous items was the bronze column of Plataea (The Serpent Column; Ancient Greek: Τρικάρηνος Ὄφις, Three-headed Serpent; Turkish: Yılanlı Sütun, Serpentine Column) from the sanctuary (dated 479 BC), relocated there from Delphi in AD 324, which can still be seen today standing destroyed at a square of Istanbul (where once upon a time was the Hippodrome of Constantinople, built by Constantine; Ottoman Turkish: Atmeydanı "Horse Square") <ref>{{Cite book|last=Scott |first= Michael |title=Delphi: A History of the Center of the Ancient World| location=Princeton; Oxford |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-691-15081-9 |edition=1st |pages=240–241}}</ref> with part of one of its heads kept in the [[Istanbul Archaeology Museums]] (İstanbul Arkeoloji Müzeleri).

Despite the rise of Christianity across the Roman Empire, the oracle remained a religious center throughout the fourth century, and the Pythian Games continued to be held at least until 424 AD;<ref name="ODB"/> however, the decline continued. The attempt of Emperor [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] to revive polytheism did not survive his reign.<ref name=Lampsas/> Excavations have revealed a large three-[[aisle]]d basilica in the city, as well as traces of a church building in the sanctuary's gymnasium.<ref name="ODB"/> The site was abandoned in the sixth or seventh centuries, although a single bishop of Delphi is attested in an episcopal list of the late eighth and early ninth centuries.<ref name="ODB"/>

In modern times, the structured method of communication and forecasting known as the [[Delphi technique]] takes its name from the oracle of Delphi,<ref>Sheridan, T., "Computers/Future of Delphi: Technology for Group Dialogue" in Linstone, H. A. and Turoff, M. (2002), [https://web.archive.org/web/20080920145326/http://is.njit.edu:80/pubs/delphibook/delphibook.pdf The Delphi Method: Techniques and Applications], p. 529, archived on 20 September 2008, accessed on 13 July 2024</ref> although some founders and early developers of the technique considered that the adoption of the name "Delphi" was unfortunate and undesirable.<ref>{{cite book | vauthors = Ziglio E | chapter = The Delphi Method and its Contribution to Decision Making | veditors = Adler M, Ziglio E | date =1996 | title = Gazing Into the Oracle: The Delphi Method and Its Application to Social Policy and Public Health | publisher = Jessica Kingsley Publishers | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jo1Z1JZIrKIC&pg=PA5 | page= 5 | isbn = 978-1-85302-104-6 }}</ref>