Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 2,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (thunder and lightning): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1925)

The Delphic Omphalos

173

unseen for example by Pausanias1, was kept—as Varro knew—' in
the temple at one side2.' Delphic building-accounts of the year
343—-342 B.C. and a little later prove that the omphalos had a
porch in front of it and was protected by carefully surfaced walls
supporting a roof3—circumstances which suggest that, like the om-
phalos at Argos4, it stood in a small chapel of its own5. H. Pomtow
provisionally locates it in the niche between the second and third
columns of the north aisle, though he admits that it may equally

1 On this much-disputed point see Frazer Paicsanias v. 316 ft"., F. Studniczka in
Hermes 1902 xxxvii. 263, H. Pomtow in Philologus 1912 lxxi. 59ft, W. H. Roscher
Omphalos Leipzig 1913 p. 72 f. It was reserved for F. Courby in the Comptes rendus de
I'Acad, des inscr. et belles-lettres 1914 p. 259 ft and in the Fouilles de Delphes ii. 1. 72 to
appreciate the simple truth. Yet Paus. 10. 24. 5 es be tov vaov to iffwrdrw, irapiaffi re is
avrb bXLyoi k.t.X. drops a broad enough hint, as G. Karo saw (Daremberg—Saglio Diet.
Ant. iv. 199 Tomphalos lui-meme etait invisible pour le grand public').

2 Varr. de ling. Lat. 7. 17 et terrae medium non hoc, sed quod vocant Delphis in
aede ad latus (sic cod. F., allatus codd. G. H., Hiatus cod. a., ablatus cod. b. Lobeck cj.
arquatum, Roscher lanatum ?) est quiddam ut thesauri specie, quod Graeci vocant
bfxcpaXbv, etc.

3 E. Bourguet in the Bull. Corr. Hell. 1902 xxvi. 42 col. i. a line 30 ft. Qevyevei tols
iyKavaio s tov iTTLarvXiov tov iwi rat | irpoo~Tdo~ei rat irpb tov bp.<paX ov p.io~6bs bpaxpai
5eKa e|.

Id. ib. 1902 xxvi. 65 col. ii. b line 14 ft. Qev<p6}^Tbii Kai "Liwvi tov Waaioivos \ epyov tov
Trepi tov b/x<paXbv, ir [X]lv8wv 6V/i[a] eTeponXevpuv, t,[Qi]v wXevpiiov Trap^oas tov dvw:
ff\r]lxov tov vtto twi inroboKLU^, [e]K<x<xToi> tov TrXevpiov bpaXiP-a[i] Tero[pe]s, avpiras pucrdds \\
[bpaxP-ai t€Tp]d)KovTa.

During the building-operations the omphalos was safeguarded by a special construction
of crude brick {id. ib. 1902 xxvi. 81 fft F Inv. no. 207, 8 ff. oiKobop. [^Jcrat wXivdois yalvais
7rep|[t] tov bpcpaXbv, cp. ib. p. 92 H Inv. no. 1802 col. iii line 3 ff. [r]|ui> <7\-[a7re'rwf tQv
Trepi tov bp.(p]\aX6v).

4 W. Vollgraff in the Bull. Co?-r. Hell. 1903 xxvii. 270ft. no. 28 line iff. debs, irpo-
pAvTies dvedev \ 'AttoXXwvl 'Apiofrjei's Lcpvp-q bas, QiXoKpaTr/s XareXid bas, irpo(pr}Tai
(A^axvXos 'Apaxvd das, Tpvyrjs Aidwvibas Kai KajeaKevaoaav Kai eaaavTO [tov] | e/c
pavTrjas Yds bpcpaXov Kai t[o]\p TrepioTaaiv Kai to (pdpypa Kai tov | fiwfibv Trpbcr(fi)opov wot
d(p)Q Kai tt€t\tplvov pbov Kai rdv dpx^vpav | iiirep ai/Tov Kai drfavpbv iv ti2 p.av T7](p Kare-
o~Keva<ro~av Tots TreXdj^ois kXciktov Kai rdv bSbv ipydo~\o~avTo dnavcrav k.t.X. This inscription
presumably refers to the cult of Apollon Deiradiotes, whose temple, said to have been
founded by Pythaeus (Telesilla frag. 3 Bergk4 ap. Paus. 2. 35. 2), stood on the way up to
the Argive Larisa (Paus. 2. 24. I dvibvTLov be is tt]v aKpoTroXiv Ioti p.ev tt)s 'A\'pcuas"Hpas
to iepbv, 'iari be Kai vabs'AttoXXiuvos, bv Ylvdaevs wpCiTOS irapayevbpevos Ik AeXcpwv Xeyerai
TTOLrjaai. to be ayaXpa to vvv x°^kovv eo~Tiv bpdbv, AeipabiwTrjS 'AttoXXwv KaXovpevos, otl
Kai 6 towos ovtos KaXelTai Aeipds. i) be oi pavTiKTj—/xai'TeveTai yap Iti Kai is f/pcas—Kadeo'TrjKe
TpoTrov tovtov. yvvij pev itpo(p7]Tevovo'd io~Tiv, dvbpbs evvrjs eipyopevrj- dvofiivrjs be iv vvkt'l
dpvbs Kara p.rjva eKaaTov, yevaapivr) br) tov a'ip.aTos 7] yvvr) KaToxos iK tov fleov yiveTai. See
further Sir J. G. Frazer ad loc, O. Jessen in Pauly—Wissowa Real-Enc. iv. 2409,
O. Hc'ifer in Roscher lex. Myth. iii. 3364 fft). It is reasonable to conclude that the
Argive cult, if not a filial of the Delphic, was at least in some .respects under the
influence of Delphoi.

3 So G. Karo in Daremberg—Saglio Diet. Ant. iv. 198, A. Frickenhaus in the Ath.
Mitth. 1910 xxxv. 271 n. t, H. Pomtow in Philologus 1912 lxxi. 60 ft, cp. W. H. Roscher
Omphalos Leipzig 1913 p. 81 n. 150.