On the Question of the “Antiquity” of the Dodonian Oracle

Oracles played an important role in the political and everyday life of the ancient Greeks. Not only before committing the simplest acts, but also before making important political decisions, the Greeks always asked the will of the gods. It is no coincidence that in almost every region of Greece there were sanctuaries dedicated to various gods, where one could get answers to various questions. The most ancient and authoritative of them was the oracle of Zeus in Dodona, which was in the north-eastern part of Greece, in the highland and hard-to-reach Epirus. Despite the problems of communications - high mountain ranges, swamps, fast mountain rivers, impassable gorges, pilgrims from all over Hellas flocked to the sanctuary. The authority of the Dodona oracle was supported by the so-called antiquity for which the sanctuary was famous, and which was supported by passages of the revered Greek poet Homer, the habitation of the mysterious Pelasgian tribe here, as well as numerous archaeological finds dating back to the Minoan era and then to the Mycenaean period. The symbol of the sanctuary was the sacred oak, which was considered the dwelling place of the ruler of all gods, Zeus. The activity of the Dodona oracle continued for two millennia and ceased with the establishment of Christianity in the region.