DELPHI, Greece _ The steep, rocky slopes of Mount Parnassus seem to scrape the sky above me. I'm standing among the ruins of one of the most famous places in the ancient world. There's something solemn and weighty about this place, as if gravity has been cranked up a few Newtons. I can feel history pressing down.
This is where Delphi's famed oracle _ an office held by a long line of high priestesses believed to be the mouthpiece of the god Apollo _ for centuries answered questions from visitors near and far. Greeks called the location the "navel" of the world, represented by the Omphalos of Delphi, an ancient stone monument.
For 1,500 years, up through the time when Christianity became dominant, Delphi was one of the power centers of the world. That's a lot of years. Even if you figure in the idea that oracles, with the right luck (and publicity), can be sure-fire attention grabbers, Delphi wasn't top dog just because it was home to a prognosticator. There were lots of oracles in Greece and the rest of the ancient world for competition.
No, there was (and is) something special about Delphi.
These hills aren't alive with the sound of music. More like the sounds of a 1,500-year-long line of women hopped up on ethylene gas.
