Sanctuary of Apollo Ismenios, Thebes
Creators: Ilaria Cristofaro
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https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/116141527
38.31647645, 23.3224642
- Representative Locations:
- OSM location of Sanctuary of Apollo Ismenios (550 BC - 330 BC) accuracy: +/- 20 meters.
- None
- Sanctuary of Apollo Ismenios, Thebes located at Thebai/Thebae (unspecified date range)
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temple
Pleiades
The establishment of the cult is dated to the 8th century BC, while the ruins that are visible today are dated to the 4th century BC. Only the west end of the krepis foundations is still visible. The sanctuary of Apollo Ismenios, on the namesake hill, was an important oracle. Divinations were given by observing the flame, smoke, and ash of the sacrifices. In its heyday, many devotees consulted the oracle, among them King Kroisos (Lat. Croesus) of Lydia. Pindar refers to a treasury of gold tripods, emphasising the wealth of the votive offerings. A boy with two living parents served annually as priest and led the procession of the Daphnephoria festival from the city to the temple, holding a laurel branch.
Orientation:
The temple is oriented approximately east–west at 98°±1° (skyline altitude is 4° on a nearby horizon). To the west, at 278°±1°, Mount Helicon is well visible.
Ilaria Cristofaro, Jeffrey Becker, and Brady Kiesling, 'Sanctuary of Apollo Ismenios, Thebes: a Pleiades place resource', Pleiades: A Gazetteer of Past Places, 2026 <https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/116141527> [accessed: 19 May 2026]
{{cite web |url=https://pleiades.stoa.org/places/116141527 |title=Places: 116141527 (Sanctuary of Apollo Ismenios, Thebes) |author=Cristofaro, I. |accessdate=May 19, 2026 2:34 am |publisher=Pleiades}}