Temple of Apollo
Didyma, located in
the southwest part
of modern
Turkey, was an
important religious
site of ancient
Ionia. It was home
to a large temple
dedicated to Apollo,
called the
Didymaion.
Pausanias (Greek
traveler, ca. 160
A.D.) explained that
the Didymaion was
constructed before
Greek colonization
(10th century B.C.),
and many believe it
actually dates to
the 2nd millennium
B.C. However, the
earliest level of
the temple found
thus far dates to
the end of the 8th
century B.C., and
the colonnade of the
temple was erected a
century later.
Temple Interior
During the
Hellenistic period
and years following,
the Didymaion
was one of the
greatest Apollan
oracular temples in
existence, second
only to the one in
Delphi, Greece.
There was a sort of
“secret society”
here at the temple,
where people came to
receive a divine
oracle from Apollo
at great material
cost. The priestess
would usually give
only a few ambiguous
words, most of which
could have been
interpreted in
various ways. The
inner room, called
the Naiskos (shown
in the lower right
corner), housed the
cult statue and the
sacred spring used
in the oracle.
Ionic Capitals
In Roman times the
Didyma temple of
Apollo was most
notable for its 122
enormous columns;
most today are in
ruins, but two still
stand. Christians
in nearby Miletus
certainly knew about
the Didymaion
and could see the
differences in
Paul’s ministry from
pagan religious
practices of the
day. Whereas the
priestess here gave
oracles having no
effect, Paul did not
hesitate to publicly
proclaim the Gospel,
fully, freely, and
requiring no payment
(cf. Acts 20:20, 27,
33).
The Sacred Way
“Didyma,” meaning
“twin,” referred to
Apollo and Artemis,
a Greek god and
goddess who were
twins. Artemis’
temple was in
Miletus, while
Apollo’s was here.
The proximity of the
temples is still
apparent today,
since there are
remains of a “Sacred
Way” connecting the
two. Flagstones
visible on the road
only date to the
time of Emperor
Trajan in 101 A.D.,
but he probably
placed them directly
atop an earlier road
in the same
location.
Medusa Relief
This giant Medusa
head at Didyma was
formerly part of a
frieze on the
architrave, possibly
sculpted by
Aphrodisias in
the 2nd century A.D.
