Editing Pythian Games (section)

==History==
[[Image:Delphi charioteer front DSC06255.JPG|thumb|left|upright|The Pythian Games included a [[chariot]] race.]]
The historical timeframe of the Pythian Games started in 582 BC, when the administration of the Games was handed over to the [[Amphictyonic League#The Delphic Amphictyony|Delphic Amphictyony]], a council of twelve Greek tribes, at the end of the [[First Sacred War]]. As of that time, they did not take place every eight years as in the past, but every four years, two years before and after the Olympic Games, presumably at the end of August.<ref>[[William Smith (lexicographer)|Smith, William]]. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=9e47AQAAMAAJ A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities]''</ref>

Preparations for the games began six months prior. Nine citizens from Delphi, called [[theoroi]], were sent to all Greek cities to announce the beginning of the games in order to attract athletes, as well as to declare the period of the Sacred Truce ([[Hieromenia]]), aiming at protecting not only the theoroi and the athletes who traveled to Delphi but also the temple of Apollo itself. If a city was involved in armed conflict or in robberies during that period, its citizens were forbidden to enter the Sanctuary, participate in the games, or consult the Oracle. At the same time, the truce allowed the Amphictyony to focus on preparing for the games, which included restorations for all structures of the Sanctuary, from the temples to the streets and fountains. Scores of people flocked to the games from all over Greece, bringing in substantial revenue to the city. {{citation needed|reason=This entire paragraph is lacking any citations. These claims need reliable sources.|date=July 2016}}

Despite the rise of Christianity in the [[Roman Empire]] during the 4th century, Delphi remained an active pagan site and the Pythian Games continued to be celebrated at least until AD 424.<ref name="ODB">{{cite encyclopedia|title = Delphi|last = Gregory|first = Timothy E.|page = 602|editor-first = Alexander|editor-last = Kazhdan|editor-link=Alexander Kazhdan|encyclopedia = [[Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium]]|location = London and New York|publisher = Oxford University Press|year = 1991|isbn = 978-0-19-504652-6}}</ref>