Dodona
placeDodona in Epirus was the oldest oracle in Greece, where priestesses interpreted the will of Zeus from the rustling of a sacred oak tree and the cooing of doves.
The Myth
Before Delphi rose to prominence, Dodona was the most revered oracle in the Greek world. Zeus spoke through the rustling leaves of a great oak tree, and his priestesses — called the Doves (Peleiades) — interpreted the sounds. Bronze cauldrons surrounded the sacred tree, their ringing in the wind adding another voice of the god. Homer mentions Dodona in both the Iliad and the Odyssey. Odysseus visited to ask whether he should return to Ithaca openly or in disguise. Thousands of lead question-tablets found by archaeologists reveal what ordinary people asked: about marriages, voyages, stolen property, and illnesses.
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Fun Fact
Archaeologists found thousands of tiny lead tablets at Dodona inscribed with questions — the closest thing we have to hearing ordinary ancient Greek voices.