Dodona, oracle of Zeus
The oldest Greek oracle, dedicated to Zeus, second in prestige only to Delphi.
- What it was
- The oldest Greek oracle, of Zeus
- Dating
- Cult from the Late Bronze Age
- Tablets
- Over 4,200, 6th–2nd century BC
- Festival
- Added by Pyrrhus, about 290 BC
Dodona, near the village of Dodoni in the Ioannina regional unit, was the oldest Greek oracle, dedicated mainly to Zeus. Its prestige was second only to Delphi's. Worship included Zeus Naios, linked to a sacred spring, Zeus Bouleus and Dione.
History
Cult activity dates to the Late Bronze Age and the earliest inscriptions to about 550–500 BC. Over 4,200 oracular tablets have been found, from the mid-6th to the early 2nd century BC. Around 290 BC Pyrrhus added a festival with athletic, musical and dramatic contests. The site was abandoned in 391–392 AD, after Theodosius closed pagan temples and cut down the sacred oak. Many finds are in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and the Archaeological Museum of Ioannina.
