Dodona: a Brief Overview

The oracle of Zeus and Dione at Dodona in Epirus, in north west Greece was located in a high, narrow valley beneath the Tomaros mountain. The sanctuary focused on an oak tree, which somehow–we still do not know the method that was used–provided answers for the thousands of visitors who came to ask the gods for help. The evidence for these oracular consultations comprises lead tablets with questions inscribed on them; some of the tablets were used several times. Over four thousand tablets have been discovered.

Who visited the oracle? Most of the questions asked at Dodona are written by individuals, although there are a number of questions posed by communities or poleis (city states). The question tablets and literary evidence show that people came from across Greece to consult Dodona, although the majority of consultants were local people. Questions were posed not only by men, but also by women and by slaves.

How old was the oracle? A multitude of ancient stories–full of thieving shepherds, talking trees, solemn doves and pious woodcutters–give different accounts of how the oracle was founded. These tales suggest–and were probably intended to convey–that the oracle was very ancient, older than any other oracular sanctuary. From the historical evidence, it is not clear when Dodona started functioning as an oracular sanctuary: some have argued for as early as the Early Bronze Age (2600-2000/1900 BCE); others for the eighth century BCE.

What was it like to visit? For a long time, the site had very few buildings; instead, some ancient sources say that there were piles of bronze tripods–gifts of thanks from the oracle’s many visitors.  The first temple for Zeus (the Hiera Oikia or ‘sacred house’) was only built in the early fourth century BCE. The sanctuary was more heavily and splendidly built up in the third century, including a vast theatre that can still be seen today.

You can find out more about the oracle of Zeus and Dione, and read more oracle questions, in my book Oracles, Curses, and Risk Among the Ancient Greeks–and/or get in touch with me.

These films were developed as a prototype for a larger project to create a Virtual Reality Experience of Consulting the Oracle of Zeus at Dodona, which was funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/T004673/1).