A source-book of ancient history - The Search For Mecca

The Delphic Amphictyony 95
after which she gi^•es the prophetic response in verse or
prose. The prose is adapted to metre by poets who are
in the service of the temple. . . .
Although the highest honor was paid to this temple on lb. 6.
account of this oracle, as the freest of all from deception,
yet its reputation was owing in part to its situation in the
centre of all
Greece, both within and without the Isthmus.
It was also supposed to be the centre of the habitable
earth. . . .
As the situation of Delphi is convenient, persons easily The Amassembled
there, particularly those from the neighborhood,
of whom the Amphictyonic body is composed. It lb. 7.
is
the business of this body to deliberate on pubhc affairs,
and to it is more particularly intrusted the guardianship
of the temple for the common good; for large sums of
money were deposited there, and votive offerings, which
required great vigilance and religious care. The early
history of this body is unknown, but among the names
which are recorded, Acrisius appears to have been the first
who regulated its constitution, to have determined what
cities were to have votes in the council, and to have assigned
the number of votes and mode of voting. To some
cities he gave a single vote each, or a vote to two cities,
or to several cities conjointly. He also defined the class
of questions which might arise between the different cities,
which were to be submitted to the decision of the Amphictyonic
tribunal; and subsequently many other regulations
were made, but this federation hke that of the
Achseans, was finally dissolved.
At first twelve cities are said to have assembled, each of Time and
1 • 1 -n. 1 rr^i • 111- place of aswhich
sent a rylagoras. I he convention was held twice a sembly.
year, in spring and autumn. But latterly a greater number
of cities assembled. They called both the vernal and the