The Megarian Treasury was a building situated within the sanctuary of Apollo in
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...
, to the north of the
Siphnian Treasury
The Siphnian Treasury was a building at the Ancient Greek cult centre of Delphi, erected to host the offerings of the polis, or city-state, of Siphnos. It was one of a number of treasuries lining the "Sacred Way", the processional route through t ...
along the Sacred Way. On its façade have been inscribed 26 inscriptions referring to the citizens of
Megara
Megara (; el, Μέγαρα, ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis Island, Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, befo ...
, a fact which led to the secure identification of the monument.
Description
Within the archaeological site of Delphi, in the sanctuary of Apollo, along the Sacred Way and to the north of the Siphnian Treasury are preserved architectural remains of a building which has been identified as the treasury of the Megarians. The building consists of two parts. The earlier phase dates to the end of the 6th or the beginning of the 5th century BC. It was a building of the
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...
, made of porous stone, possibly
distyle in antis
In classical architecture, distyle in antis denotes a temple with the side walls extending to the front of the porch and terminating with two antae, the pediment being supported by two pilasters or sometimes caryatids. This is the earliest type of ...
. The building had a vestibule 2 meters long and a
cella
A cella (from Latin for small chamber) or naos (from the Ancient Greek, Greek ναός, "temple") is the inner chamber of an ancient Greek temple, Greek or Roman temple in classical antiquity. Its enclosure within walls has given rise to extende ...
of 5 meters. Parts of the foundation were maintained, but at a later stage, possibly in the 5th or in the beginning of the 4th century BC, there was erected a second building of a trapezoid plan.
[Bommelaer, J.-F., Laroche, D. (1991). Guide de Delphes: Le Site. Paris, σελ. 126–127]
Its façade was made of dark limestone. Inscriptions were carved on it, mostly honorary, of which the majority (26 in number) refer to the city and the citizens of Megara. In 1975–76 the Wall of the Megarians and part of the building was restored at the expense of the Municipality of Megara.
See also
*
Megarian Treasury (Olympia)
The Megarian Treasury at Olympia, was an ancient Greek building, located in the sanctuary of Olympia, which held votive offerings of the Greek city-state of Megara.Frazerpp. 65–69 Pausanias6.19.12–143
See also
* Treasuries at Olympia
* ...
Bibliography
*Bommelaer, J.-F., Laroche, D. (1991). ''Guide de Delphes: Le Site''. Paris, pp.126–127.
References
{{reflist
Ancient Greek buildings and structures in Delphi
Ancient Megara