Delphi was a city in Phokis, Greece which notably served as the sanctuary of the Pythia, the Oracle of Apollo. In mythology, the god Zeus chose Delphi as the center of his "Grandmother Earth" (Gaia) after two eagles crossed paths over the site of the city (Gaia's navel), and it was home to an Oracle as early as 1400 BC and was dedicated to the worship of the god Apollo in 800 BC. Apollo slew a python there and protected the navel of the Earth, and the city was thus originally known as "Pytho" (it was later renamed to "Delphi", meaning "womb"). Starting in 586 BC, one of the four Panhellenic Games (now the Olympic Games), the Pythian Games, were held at Delphi every four years. For centuries, Greeks considered Delphi to be the center of the world, and Athens conquered the city from Kirrhan control during the First Sacred War of 595-585 BC. In 548 BC, after the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was burned, the Alcmaeonids seized power in Delphi, but the Phocians conquered Delphi in 448 BC during the Second Sacred War. In 356 BC, the Phocian sack of Delphi led to the Third Sacred War, and the war resulted in Macedon's conquest of Delphi. Macedonian rule continued until 279 BC, when the Aetolians seized power, and Rome seized power in 191 BC. Under Roman rule, Delphi's importance declined, and Delphi remained almost uninhabited for centuries. In 1987, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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