Cirrha
The port city below Delphi, destroyed in the First Sacred War for charging pilgrims unlawful fees.
The Story of Cirrha
Cirrha was the harbour town that served as the gateway to the sanctuary of Delphi. When the inhabitants began extorting pilgrims travelling to consult the oracle, levying heavy tolls and mistreating visitors, the Amphictyonic League — the league of Greek states that protected Delphi — declared the First Sacred War against them around 590 BCE. After a brutal siege, Cirrha was completely destroyed, its population slaughtered or enslaved, and its sacred plain consecrated to Apollo — forbidden forever from cultivation. The Pythian Games were founded partly to commemorate this victory.
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Fun Fact
The plain of Cirrha was declared forever accursed — any Greek state that farmed it would be liable to the same destruction that befell the city, a curse enforced by the Amphictyonic council.
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