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Turkey's Temple of Apollo may decode gray mysteries of antiquity

Recent restoration efforts at the Temple of Apollo in western Turkey seek to answer questions about the history of this ancient structure.
Didyma.JPG

The myth has it that Leto, the pregnant lover of Zeus, so feared the wrath of Zeus’ wife Hera that she took refuge on the island of Delos to give birth to her twins, Apollo and Artemis. During her labor, light burst from the skies and the sun appeared. Hence, Apollo came to be known as the god of light. His most important skill, however, was his oracular prowess. One day Apollo struck a close friendship with a shepherd, Branchos, and taught him the secrets of prophecy. Branchos built a temple in his native city, Miletus, to honor Apollo.

That’s how the Temple of Apollo’s story is being told today in what is now Turkey’s Aegean district of Didim, a popular destination for both Turkish and foreign holidaymakers. The monumental structure — the largest of the surviving oracular centers built in Apollo’s name in Asia Minor — leaves the visitor awestruck.

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