The stele and the Sphinx of the Naxians

The stele of the Naxians, an ex-voto of 560 B.C., constitutes one of the most important and impressive offerings within the sanctuary of Apollo. The mythical form of the archaic Sphinx was rendered with severity and with incisions for the details. On the cylindrical base of the tall column, which was crowned by the Sphinx, an inscription of 328-327 B.C. is recorded, renewing the promanteia for the Naxians. 

Slightly north from Sibyl's Rock there is a rock with flattened upper part; on this rock the ex voto of Naxos was placed in ca 560 B.C., a rich island of the Cyclades with vivid artistic tradition in the archaic period. It was the famous Sphinx of the Naxians, one of the largest sculpted works of the sanctuary of Apollo. On a tall column made of six drums, crowned by an Ionian capital, stood a Sphinx with the head of a woman, the body of a feline, probably a lion, and impressive wings turned upwards. The anatomy and the decorative elements on the wings were rendered with incisions with the addition of colour. Her lips formed an enigmatic smile, typical of the archaic period. The Sphinx is now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. 
 On the cylindrical base an inscription dated to the 328-327 B.C. is recorded, renewing the promanteia for the Naxians, i.e. the right to acquire oracles before the others: «Δελφοί ἀπέδωκαν Ναξίοις τάν προμαντηίαν κάτ τά ἀρχαῖα∙ ἂρχοντος Θεολύτου, βουλεύοντος Ἐπιγένεος». (“Delphi accorded the Naxians the right of Promanteia as before, at the time of archon Theolytos and Epigenes the Bouleutes”). The monument was made entirely of Naxian marble and reached 12.45 meters in height. The look of the mythical creature monument inspires awe to the visitors and constitutes a typical specimen of the Naxian sculpture in its peak period, i.e. in the 6th century B.C.

Text - Translation: Dr. Aphrodite Kamara, Historian


The Naxian Sphinx, © Ephorate of Antiquities of Phocis, Ministry of Culture and Sports