The Oracle: The Lost Secrets and Hidden Message of Ancient Delphi

Oracle is a wonderful discussion of the Oracle at Delphi, Northern Greece. In the introduction, the author discusses the evolution of the site as a local center of mystic revelations to one of international renown and influence, and ultimately to an abandoned ruin lying beneath a small modern village ignorant of its presence or of its magnificent reputation. The main text, and the meat of the work, is the discussion of the collaboration between a sedimentary and structural geologist, Jelle de Boer and an archeologist and historian John Hale. Both men had an interest in the ancient site, and having met by accident, agreed to work together to clear up an underlying confusion regarding the ancient site that had arisen by virtue of an early French excavation of the site. Author William Board, is not an academic. He is neither a geologist nor an historian. He's a professional journalist, and as I've come to expect of the breed, a well researched individual with a gift for dramatic narration. He creates a sense of place for Delphi and its ancient priestesses, citing a number of ancient historians in doing so. He gives the reader a feel for the expectations and the disappointments of the French archaeologists who uncovered the site and presented their findings--and non-findings--to the world. He also gives background to both of the primary protagonists, de Boer and Hale, presenting the one as a survivor of concentrations camps in Java, and the other as a multitalented historian. Over the years each introduced the other to their own discipline and contributed ideas and objections to the data they compiled. The weaving together of various pieces of the puzzle of the "vapors" of the Oracle makes a wonderful story. In the final chapter is the author's take on what science misses by reducing everything, including the mystery of Delphi, to simple physical phenomena. While I tend to agree with him, I'm not certain it fits with the rest of the narrative. The story was virtually tailored to my interests. I have a geology degree and one in history, with interests in classics and in geoarchaeology. I've also been to Delphi, so the scenes as describe resonate in my memory. De Boer's following of the fault system was truly entertaining stuff from my point of view. A fascinating tale of what collaboration can do.

William Broad has written an absolutely delightful book that will fascinate anyone with any interest in the Ancient Greeks. There are many tools (a timeline and a glossary) for people who don't know much about the subject, but there's also a great deal of excellent material for folks who have been studying this subject for years. What Broad proves is that the ancient accounts of the shrine at Delphi need to taken seriously...not because Apollo really resided there, but because an important natural phenomenon gave a select group of women the opportunity to teach ethics, guide kings, and even free some slaves. I was able to visit Delphi a decade ago and I can assure you that the guide painted a truly depressing picture about the most important shrine in all of Greece. The old account was that crazy old women were compelled to utter gibberish and then a group of male priests would say whatever they felt like. This was something the Greeks took seriously? The book is well-written and filled with details that make for an engaging narrative.

This book has it all: ancient history, archaeology, science, mystery, intrigue and adventure. As is implied by the title, the book's focus is on the Oracle of Delphi, as seen from both ancient and modern perspectives. The main theme centers on whether the ancient Oracle was exposed to hallucinogenic gases while providing prophetic council, or whether all this was, perhaps, just an act. The author does a wonderful job in weaving the history of the Oracle, its excavation of about a century ago, recent investigations and the lives of the individual scientists forming part of the multidisciplinary team performing the work. Written in a most engaging style, this book is difficult to put down. On the odd side, two sections of the book stand out as being rather different from the rest of it; these are (part of) the prologue and the entire last chapter. These contain discussions on such topics as metaphysical philosophy and the uses and misuses of reductionism in science - topics which, although possibly related to the apparent clairvoyance of the Oracle, contrast sharply with the meticulous fact gathering and the careful well-grounded science presented in the main body of the book. This can be a plus or a minus, depending on your point of view. Either way, this book is a clear winner that is likely to be of interest to just about everyone.

The Oracle is hands-down one of the best nonfiction books I've read in years. Either of its three parts would have been excellent alone: the nuanced narrative of the role the Oracle of Delphi played in Greek religion, culture and politics across millennia; the narrative of the interdisciplinary investigation that revealed the means of generating the Oracle's trance state; or the essay on the limits of scientific reductionism. That one author could write all three and integrate them seamlessly into a short book that I literally couldn't put down, is simply astounding. It's one of the best treatments of ancient history I've read in a while (and I've been reading a lot lately), the best scientific detective story maybe since The Double Helix, and a pungent critique of scientific overreaching. And what a great story! If you're interested in ancient history, this is a must-read. If you're a critic of scientism and academic narrow-mindedness, ditto.

I had no idea there was any scientific basis for believing in the existence of a Delphi oracle until I picked up a review copy of William Broad's real life thrilled THE ORACLE. In highly serviceable prose, Broad does two things at once: he sketches in a history of Greece both ancient and modern, and also he brings up up to date on recent scholarship and archaelogical findings concerning this holy (?) site. It is said that when Apollo visited the inner chambers of Delphi that visitors nearby would sense the lingering aromas of his distinctive, unearthly perfume! It is this sort of memorable detail that makes Broad's writing so delightful. It almost had me believing in gods, a feeling I haven't had since I was small watching Harry Hamlin and Lawrence Olivier duke it out in Harryhausen's CLASH OF THE TITANS. I eat this stuff up, but as I say, this book makes the stone carved figures of Mount Olympus come alive in a very real way. They might almost be flesh and blood. Broad also excels at explaining how politics have obscured and occluded the progress of scientific analysis at least since the romantic age of Byron and Shelley. When the West became involved in Grecian affairs, it was almost always with the idea of empire in mind, thus for example the Elgin Marbles being carted off to London like so many trophies of war. But on the other hand some serious scholars with admittedly sketchy and unrpoven theories about the rise and fall of the Oracle were on the brink of a major discovery, if only they could surmount the bureaucracy of the stubborn French controllers of research. Jelle De Boer (I know, what a name!) emerges as the hero of the tale, with his intuitive notions that the Apollonian messages might have emerged from beyond the "adyton" through a gas which perhaps altered consciousness. Little by little he got people to believe in him. Basically they said, "Give the kid a chance," and voila! His hypothesis involved a study of the shifting planes which broke up the landmass of Eurasia, and the creation of the Gulf of Corinth. Another young man helped him process his ideas, translating his sometimes awkwatd Dutch into colloquial English. If you liked THE DA VINCI CODE this is the real life equivalent, a book of derring do and a pair of scientific heroes like Indiana Jones who are incomparably larger than life. You may not have heard of "ethylene" before this book but once you pick up THE ORACLE, you will feel as though one of the secrets of life itself has been made a gift to you. Look over your shoulder, Apollo may be whispering your name.