Delphic Podcast by Michael R D James
Jul 26, 2026 · 10 min · 9 segments
An argument with my AI servant Copilot over who the Ancient Greek Oracles supported in the Peloponnesian war. Thucydides suggested that the Oracle supported Sparta but this is unlikely given firstly…
Michael R. D. JamesHostAccording to the historian Thucydides, when the Spartans consulted the Pythia at the beginning of the war, she reportedly declared that if they fought with all their might, they would be victorious, and that the god, Apollo, would help them, whether called or uncalled.
This response was widely interpreted as divine support for the Peloponnesian League, which served as a powerful propaganda tool and morale booster for the Spartans as they prepared to engage the Athenians.
However, the nature of these oracular responses is often debated by historians and philosophers alike.
They were frequently ambiguous, allowing for multiple interpretations that could accommodate shifting political tides.
The ambiguity of this response is very interesting but it is definitely inclined to a pragmatic political rather than a moral evaluation of the oracle's role in ancient Greek culture.
According to the historian Thucydides, when the Spartans consulted the Pythia at the beginning of the war, she reportedly declared that if they fought with all their might, they would be victorious, and that the god, Apollo, would help them, whether called or uncalled.
This response was widely interpreted as divine support for the Peloponnesian League, which served as a powerful propaganda tool and morale booster for the Spartans as they prepared to engage the Athenians.
However, the nature of these oracular responses is often debated by historians and philosophers alike.
They were frequently ambiguous, allowing for multiple interpretations that could accommodate shifting political tides.
The ambiguity of this response is very interesting but it is definitely inclined to a pragmatic political rather than a moral evaluation of the oracle's role in ancient Greek culture.
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