Eumenides Cave

The Eumenides Cave, high on Mount Parnassus above Delphi, was a sanctuary of the Korykian Nymphs, named after the daughters of the river Pleistus who aided Apollo. Aeschylus and Sophocles linked the cave to Delphic oracle traditions and ecstatic worship. Herodotus recorded its use as a refuge for Delphians fleeing Persian invaders in 480 BCE. Cult activities included divination via astragali (sheep or goat knucklebones cast for oracles), honey libations, and music-making with auloi (double flutes), reflecting local Phocian traditions from at least the 7th century BCE. Excavations by the French School at Athens (1969-1971) uncovered evidence of continuous use from prehistoric times through the Roman period. Finds include a Neolithic steatopygous figurine, Mycenaean pottery, bone flutes, bronze statuettes, and over 50,000 terracotta figurines. More than 24,000 astragali, many inscribed, attest to widespread oracular practices.