The Navel

The Navel. OMΦAΛOΣ. The texts on this marker are written in Greek (left), English (center) and French (right). Only the English text has been transcribed. To read the Greek and French texts, enlarge the marker image by clicking on it. , English: , The sacred omphalos of Delphi, believed to have fallen from the heavens (υψιπετήζ), was shaped like a conical stone devoid of artistic shaping. It was also identified with the stone thrown by Zeus from the heavens to discover the center the world. According to the mythological tradition, Zeus released two golden eagles in different directions. At the point where the two god-sent birds met, Zeus threw down a stone that landed in Delphi. The omphalos held an important place in divination at the oracle . We learn from the ancient sources that the sacred tripod, prophetic laurel and omphalos were in the adyton of the Temple of Apollo, where the Pythia pronounced her oracles. And beneath the omphalos was the tomb of Python, son of the first prophetess Gaia, or that of Dionysus, the sanctuary's second important god. The omphalos was covered with a wooden net with attached bands of wool, called the agrenon (αγρηνόν). According to the 2nd c. A.D. traveler Pausanias, at the points where the bands were tied, between them were precious stones carved in the shape of gorgons, while two golden eagles were affixed to its top. The stone omphalos on exhibit in the Museum of Delphi (1), and which according to one theory crowned the column of the Three Dancers (2), carries relief decoration in imitation of the agrenon. There were many copies of the sacred omphalos at the sanctuary, among them the one exhibited here.