Yes, but the shrine/temple was what housed a god's statue, a snake, etc.
Priests/priestesses acted as the mouthpiece in delivering the prophecies.
And this was usually a fix. As an example, the people who held the shrine of Apollo at Delphi had agents in the main cities throughout the Greek world, who sent advance notice of a city sending an embassy seeking a prophecy, and so they had responses ready to put in the mouth of the priestess. They made a good living from the offerings the petitioners paid.
The responses were also cleverly ambiguous, so that if it went wrong, there was another opposite way that the oracle could be interpreted. So the god was always right, and the money kept flowing in.
There was also another use for these shrines. At Delphi and elsewhere, the major cities had stashed treasuries where they kept funds under the protection of the god, so that other cities couldn't pinch them. However foreign invaders relished the easy money to be made by pillaging treasuries if they weren't fearful of the Greek gods. Just to be sure, they 'borrowed' the money. The Roman dictator Sulla financed his campaigns in the east by 'borrowing' these funds. The later barbarian invaders simply looted them.
The Greeks did go to an oracle when they needed help or advice. One of the most famous oracles was the Oracle at Delphi. The actual oracle is known as the Pythia.
She could accurately predict the future. (K12)
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An oracle in ancient Greek culture was a priest or priestess who provided prophetic insights and advice, often in response to questions posed by individuals or city-states. The most famous oracle was the Oracle of Delphi, where the Pythia delivered messages believed to be from the god Apollo. Oracles were important to the Greeks as they offered guidance on critical decisions, such as warfare, colonization, and religious practices, and were seen as a means to communicate with the divine. Their pronouncements could significantly influence political and personal actions, making them central to Greek life and decision-making.
Through cracks in oracle bones.
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The Oracle of Delphi
The role of the Oracle of Delphi was to give prophecies to asking Greeks.
The temple of Apollo, where the Oracle, known as the Oracle of Delphi, resided, was located at Delphi in ancient Greece. This site, nestled on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, was considered the center of the world by the ancient Greeks and served as a major religious and cultural hub. Pilgrims visited the temple to seek guidance and prophecies from the priestess Pythia, who delivered messages from Apollo.
An oracle is usually a female who is in the service of Apollo, God of the Sun, Healing, Prophecy, Music, and Archery. People would come to them and they would give a prophecy. The most famous is the Oracle of Delphi.
Apollo was the god of prophecies, but he told his prophecies through the oracle of delphi
The prophecies in the Percy Jackson series come from the Oracle of Delphi, a powerful seeress in Greek mythology. These prophecies are sought by gods and demigods to guide their actions and foretell important events. The Oracle serves as a conduit for communication between mortals and the divine.
The Greeks did go to an oracle when they needed help or advice. One of the most famous oracles was the Oracle at Delphi. The actual oracle is known as the Pythia.
There were lots of oracles, but the most famous was at Delphi, where in a cave among the rocks the Pythoness (a sort of medium) would go into a trance and make prophecies. It's possible that fumes from volcanic vents (most of Greece is an earthquake zone) assisted the process. The delphic oracle was famous for prophecies that could be taken either way - as in, 'if you go to war, you will destroy a great empire' - which might, of course, turn out to be your own.
Usually the ancient Greeks would visit an oracle in order to take decisions on major issues of the city states. Some of the most famous oracles were the Dodona oracle in Epirus, Delphi in the mainland, Delos the holy island of Apollo, Samothrace the island in the north part of the Aegean sea. Of course the oracle of Amun Ra of Egypt that even Alexander the Great visited before he conducted his second battle at Issus.
The Oracle (at Delphi)