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Abae (Ancient Greek: Ἄβαι, Abai), is an ancient town in the northeastern corner of Phocis, in Greece. It was famous in antiquity for its oracle of Apollo Abaeus,^[1] one of those consulted by Croesus, king of Lydia,^[2]^[3] and Mardonius, among others.^[4]

It was rich in treasures^[5], but was destroyed by the Persians in the invasion of Xerxes in 480 BCE, and a second time by the Boeotians and remained in a ruined state.It was rebuilt by Hadrian.^[6]

The oracle was, however, still consulted, e.g. by the Thebans before Leuctra in 371 BCE.^[7] The temple seems to have been burnt again during the Third Sacred War (355–346 BCE), and was in a very dilapidated state when seen by Pausanias in the second century CE,^[8] though some restoration, as well as the building of a new temple, was undertaken by Emperor Hadrian.

The sanctity of the shrine ensured certain privileges to the people of Abae,^[9] and these were confirmed by the Romans. The polygonal walls of the acropolis may still be seen in a fair state of preservation on a circular hill standing about 500 ft (150 m) above the little plain of Exarcho; one gateway remains, and there are also traces of town walls below. The temple site was on a low spur of the hill, below the town. An early terrace wall supports a precinct in which are a stoa and some remains of temples; these were excavated by the British School at Athens in 1894, but little was found.

[edit] Notes

^ Schmitz, Leonhard (1867), "Abaeus", in Smith, William, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, 1, Boston, pp. 1, http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0010.html
^ Herodotus i.46
^ Hesychius of Alexandria. s.v. Ἄβαι; Pausanias, Description of Greece x. 35. § 1, &c.
^ Bell, Robert E. (1989). Place-Names in Classical Mythology. ABC-CLIO. pp. 1. ISBN 0-87436507-4.
^ Herodotus. viii.33
^ Smith, William (1850). A New classical dictionary of biography, mythology, and geography. London: John Murray. pp. 1. http://books.google.com/books?id=5_oGAAAAQAAJ.
^ Pausanias iv. 32.5
^ Pausanias, x. 35
^ Bulletin Corresp. Hell. 6 171.

[edit] References

Hesychius s. v. "Agcu"
Herodotus viii. 33
Pausanias x. 35.1ff, etc.)
Black and white photo essay of the archeological site of Abae

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Coordinates: 38°35′N 22°56′E / 38.583°N 22.933°E / 38.583; 22.933

[DGRBM-0] Schmitz, Leonhard (1867), "Abaeus", in Smith, William, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, 1, Boston, pp. 1, http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0010.html

[1] Herodotus i.46

[2] Hesychius of Alexandria. s.v. Ἄβαι; Pausanias, Description of Greece x. 35. § 1, &c.

[3] Bell, Robert E. (1989). Place-Names in Classical Mythology. ABC-CLIO. pp. 1. ISBN 0-87436507-4.

[4] Herodotus. viii.33

[5] Smith, William (1850). A New classical dictionary of biography, mythology, and geography. London: John Murray. pp. 1. http://books.google.com/books?id=5_oGAAAAQAAJ.

[6] Pausanias iv. 32.5

[7] Pausanias, x. 35

[8] Bulletin Corresp. Hell. 6 171.

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