Dodoni
 Dodoni was
a special place in ancient Greece and it remains special
to this date. I visited Dodoni (or Dodona) in the summer of 2000
and I was amazed at the beauty of the scenery and the archaeological
site itself.
 The sanctuary
of Dodoni was as spiritual place in ancient Greece.
It was the oldest of the Greek oracles and ancient people
traveled great distances in order to consult the priests who
foretold the future. Outside the temple of Zeus the priests
gathered under the sacred Oak tree and listened to the sound
of the leaves as they shivered in the breeze and glimpsed at
the future. People from the entire known world would make the
pilgrimage in ancient times in order to consult the future-telling
Oak tree and to attend cultural festivals that took place regurarly
at Dodoni.
"The
divine couple had their adobe in the Oak-tree, and from the
rustling of its leaves and the flight of the doves (Peleiades)
that nested in is branches the soothsayers of Zeus, the prophets
(Selli), who slept on the ground and never washed their feet
so as to be in contact with the earch and draw their oracular
powers from it, interpeted the will of the god to mortals." (Dodona," by
Sotirios Dakaris.)
 I
drove to Dodoni in a clear July morning not knowing what
to expect. I drove North from Arta and within one hour or so I
saw the signs for Dodona just before I reached the city of Ioannina.
I turned left and followed the narrow road that snaked diligently
around small and large hills until I was confronted with the majestic
twin peaks of mount Tomaros (1972m and 1816m tall) at the
foot of which Dodoni is nested. Although it took much longer than
I anticipated, I enjoyed the drive to Dodoni enormously, and the
ever-changing mountain scenery gave me the feeling that I was
about to reach a special place, and I was not disappointed once
there.
 I
entered the ruins of the sanctuary early in the morning before
the hot summer sun and the hordes of tourists had a chance to
ruin my pilgrimage. I walked the long dirt path from the ticket
counter to the excavated site and I could see nothing that gave
me the impression of an important ancient center. That is until
the enormous retaining wall of the theater of Dodoni grew
out of a small hill with an imposing authority that defined the
rural landscape.
The limestone seats of the theater were weather beaten and nested
in a respectful semicircle between the two enormous retaining
walls. I entered the theater and stood alone in the middle of
the orchestra pausing to comprehend the majestic scenery, and
to imagine the cultural spectacle that took place in ancient times.
What were the audience like? Were they restless when the play
unfolded? Absorbed and motionless when the plot was climaxing?
Did they remain frozen, afraid to make a sound that would disturb
the illusionary space of the tragedy? What would they think
of me, staring at them with camera at hand and Nike shoes at my
feet?
I must have stayed in the theater for a long time, but eventuraly more
visitors arrived and I departed, leaving the ancient stones to stare
at them in peace. The rest of the Dodoni site is not as visually exciting
as the theater since only the rectangular foundations of the buildings
remain to outline an enormous complex of temples, hostels, granaries
and other buildings. Once again the visitors guide was indispensable
since it pointed out the history and use of each ruin. Dodoni is a complex
archaeological site because it remained a vital center from about 2000
BC and flourished well into the Roman times. Thus there are many layers
of history that the archaeologists have been excavating. I was able to
walk through most of the ancient buildings and there were only few places
where a discreet rope guided me to stay at a distance.
As a religious sanctuary Dodoni was adorned with all the riches
that ancient people could afford, and excavations have unearthed
a multitude of artifacts that date back to archaic times. None
of it remains of site of course. Most of the important findings
are housed at the National Archeological Museum in Athens, while
some reside in the Archeological museum at Ioannina.
Dodoni is a site well worth visiting and I will make the pilgrimage
again. I will always remember how I sat on the ruins of the temple
of Zeus, under the Oak tree, and how the Oak tree leaves quivered
in the gentle morning breeze and told me about the time. Not the
time that's to come, but about the time that was the glorious
past.
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