In ancient times people paid a great attention to the prophecies. They were conducted in special temples and drew crowds afflicted. Although Oracle communicated intermediary, or, as we would say today, the medium was considered that his voice says the prophet himself. One of the most revered prophets of Ancient Greece was the Oracle of Delphi, who settled in the temple of Apollo at the foot of mount Parnassus in Delphi.

According to Greek mythology, the sanctuary of the Oracle was built on that very place where God Apollo slew the dragon Pithon, no one is allowed to the cleft, allegedly giving a man a gift of prophecy. Since then the main priestess of the temple was called after the name of the dragon Pipia and all subsequent priestesses began to be called also by Peyami. Before the mystery chief priestess performed ablution and took a steam bath, and then descended into the underground chamber (Editon), standing right above the crack. According to the pilgrims, it was rising air flows, possibly carrying away a volcanic gases. Pythia sat on a tripod, in one hand she held a branch of Laurel (Laurus is the sacred tree of Apollo), and the other with a bowl of water flowing from here bubbling brook. Under the influence of rising vapors Pythia was in a trance, and started rambling speech. The duties of the other priestesses was making this speech more or less meaningful text, which is then subjected to interpretation.

Surprisingly, quite a long tradition explained the phenomenon of this seemingly purely mythological phenomenon, quite scientifically: the crack in the earth's crust, couples, rising through it, and the water from underground source. And here there is quite a paradoxical situation, namely, not science has disproved the myth, as is usually the case, but, on the contrary, the myth disproved science! Until the end of XIX century scholars did not accept the version of the ancient sages, because the archaeological site of Delphi did not confirm the availability under the temple of Apollo any cracks or leaks of gas(!)

Prophesying Pythia. Engraving of the XIX century

Fortunately, to have survived the many evidences of the ancient Greek sages, dedicated to the mysteries of the Delphic Oracle. Among them can be called Pliny, Plato, Cicero, Plutarch, Strabo, and others. Geographer Strabo (64 BC - 25 ad), in particular, wrote: "they Say that Pythia is sitting on a tripod above a deep and narrow cavity through which rises up pneuma (gas, steam, products breathing animals; hence all the familiar words "pneumatic", "pneumonia" and so on). Pythia breathes the air and begins to prophesy." Plutarch (46-120 ad) spoke about the mysterious ritual in more detail. According to him, in the sanctuary develop certain relationships between God Apollo, Pipia and pneuma. While Apollo is like a musician, Pythia is the instrument on which he plays, and pneuma - plectrum (bone to play string instruments). Using plectra Apollo makes the sound of his instrument (Jfiu), that is, makes her recitation of the prophecies. Plutarch emphasizes that pneuma exudes smell the sweet aroma", which is felt not only in acetone (chamber of prophecy), but in the previous location where the priests out to them Pythia. In the time of Plato evaporation of the breath was weak and irregular, which, according to philosopher, reduced the reliability of predictions. According to Plutarch and other Greek scholars, usually Pythia prophesied in the weak state of trance. She sat on a tripod for a long time, because it was the long line. Sometimes even that woman, who plays Pythia, changed second Pythia, and sometimes three. During the "session" Pythia listened to the questions of the visitors, gave them the answers, and talked dirty votes and even sang his prophecies.

According to Plutarch, Pythia looked after the "session" gaunt as after walked for many kilometers! Plutarch also tells about the tragic fate of one of Pythonesses that temple authorities made to the prophecy in "good day" for the whim of some foreign guests. As soon as she entered Editon, immediately fell into the clutches of the evil spirit. While in trance, Pythia, instead of prophesy in his usual manner, moaned and howled, then screamed hysterically, furiously rushed to the exit. Heavily hit the door, she fell in indifference. The priestess had taken her to fresh air. Pythia came to herself, but was never able to recover from the blow. After a few days she died.

In the beginning h, English geologist Adolf Floor OPP visited Delphi, where was carried out at the time of the archaeological excavations. Having studied the situation on the ground and ensuring no there any hints on crack under the temple of Apollo, or on the expiration of underground gas emissions, the RPF was a big article in which he made three critical statements at the address of the Delphic Oracle. First: no crevices or gas discharge under the temple of Apollo at Delphi was not! Second: if the gases and appeared there, they could not cause Pythonesses a kind of trance. And third: the story Plutarch about Pythia, who fell into a frenzy, and died a year later from him, contrary to the traditional procedure of prophecy and therefore should be rejected.

Article the OPP made a great noise in the academic circles, as it seemed very importantly reasoned. Moreover, in the middle of the last century it has received support from the French archaeologist Pierre Amanda, reported that "intoxicating" gas could be emitted from the volcanic rocks, but they are under the temple of Apollo was not found! However, in the 1980s, the situation has changed. The program of development of Sciences under the auspices of the United Nations has funded the study of geological faults in Greece, along which in the last several centuries was the most devastating earthquake. As it turned out, faults come to the sanctuary of Delphi with the West and the East. In 1996, geologists jelly de Boer and John Hale carefully examined the Foundation of the temple of Apollo and identified several significant anomalies. First, Editon, which housed Pythia for prophecies, was on 2-4 m below the level of the surrounding area. Secondly, the temple had a certain asymmetry in the inner colonnade was wide crack, as if marking the place of the missing building element. Third, next to the deepening for adytona found drainage canal to drain water from the source. Thus, the researchers got reason to assert that the temple of Apollo was not intended for refuge God, and for isolation of water from the surrounding space.

In 1996, archaeologists father and son Michael and Reynolds Higgins suggested that "intoxicating" gas in Delphi Oracle could be carbon dioxide. To this conclusion they were prompted by the discovery of the gas in another temple of Apollo (Gierapolos in Asia Minor), even though he was not a place of prophecies. As it turned out, the local Church is literally above the vertical flow of toxic gases escaping from the grotto at the base of the structure. Carbon dioxide, a part of their structure, very toxic, which explains the death of the sacrificial animals from sparrows to the bulls! Even today are dying Sparrow perched on a wire fence around dangerous places.

In the result of the research is beginning to emerge overall picture of the processes occurring under the Delphic Oracle. Here, among the rocks of the Cretaceous period, there are bituminous layers of limestone. Their movement along faults accompanied by friction, warming limestone to such an extent that it begins to evaporate petrochemical inclusion. After that, he brought up an active source, beckoning and different gases. But what exactly? To answer the question, the researchers took on an analysis of gas samples from the water source of the Delphic Oracle and compared them with samples of layers lime tufa. In the layers tuff was able to extract methane, ethane and later - ethylene. Because ethylene has a sweet smell, chemists remembered the message Plutarch about "sweet aroma" pneuma. Historians recalled experiments Isabella herb in 20E years of the last century with anesthetic agents. It found that frozenly solution of ethylene can enter the person into unconsciousness, and reduced concentrations may cause a state of trance. Toxicologist Spiller emphasized amazing coincidence sensations from inhalation of ethylene with sensations from inhalation of breath, as they are described in various historical sources,...