Delphic Oracle's Secret Discovered by Geologists

The Priestess of Delphi, by John Collier

Nay, when a mule becometh king of Medes, flee, soft-soled Lydian, by pebbly Hermus, and stay not, nor feel shame to be a coward. After crossing the Halys, Croesus will destroy a great empire.

After recieving this prophesy, Croesis attacked Persia and lost, thereby destroying his own great empire.

According Pythagoras the Delphic Oracle derived her abilities from gasses that were trapped inside the temple which rose up from the ground. Until recently this was considered a myth, but geologists revisiting the theory have found evidence that the Pythagoras story was true. Ethylene gasses were found to be emanating from a spring in the area of the temple. Ethylene gasses have a narcotic and hallucinogenic effect and the temple of Delphi was built over a spring. Apparently a lack of tectonic plate activity caused the gasses to dissipate over time and the oracle's popularity fell off.

The Road to Delphi: Scenes from the History of Oraclesis a beautiful exporatioin of prophesy through history.