陳金

ARCHAEOLOGISTS discovered several “treasures of Apollo” that had been buried beneath a famous Greek monument， a documentary revealed.

Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities （神） in Classical Greek and Roman mythology. The son of Zeus and Leto， Apollo was said to be the god of archery， music and dance， truth and prophecy （預(yù)言）， healing and diseases， the Sun and light， poetry， and more. As the patron deity of Delphi， near Phocis， a sanctuary （庇護(hù)所） was erected in the fourth century BC by architects Spintharus， Xenodoros， and Agathon to worship Apollo.

Despite much of the buildings being destroyed by an earthquake in 373BC， Amazon Prime's “Secrets of Archaeology” revealed how breakthroughs are still being made after millennia.

The narrator explained in 2014： “The ancient sacred road that leads to the sanctuary crammed （擠滿） today with tourists wanting to see the archaeological site was lined in ancient times with statues and small temples.

“They were the treasures of Delphi and this treasure of the Athenians is the best-preserved one， but there were many all containing valuables and artworks， most of which were carried off over the centuries and never found again.

“Yet Delphi never fails to amaze with gold， bronze and ivory votive objects and a magnificent sphinx， perhaps the city's most beautiful statue have been unearthed.

“These superb objects， however， were not mentioned in history books.”

The series went on to reveal how archaeologists found many relics intact below the ground.

It added： “Scholars found the answer to this mystery by examining the disasters that occurred in the area， like earthquakes and landslides on the hills at Delphi.

“Had the gifts offered to Apollo been damaged in the disasters， they could no longer be displayed， that's why people buried them below the sanctuary.

“So the many masterpieces， already under the ground， can now be admired at the local museum.”

“Another beautiful construction is these tools， a splendid circular building with a diameter of approximately 30 feet and was 23 feet high.”

“It wasn't very big， but it expressed the Greek's tendency to seek perfection and was an unusual building in classical Greece.”

The series went on to explain why the sanctuary was so important to the ancient Greeks.

It continued： “To worshippers， their images of the power and majesty of the gods was embodied in the beauty of this building.”