| order and chaos, while providing a place for the Delphic oracle within society to advise it, according to Watrous, it perhaps illustrates a relevant political situation at Delphi and Athens. The Illiadic subject and the rape scenes are sobering reminders of man's foibles and mortality. The subjects matter would have been familiar to people of the sixth century, but the distinguishing mark of the Siphnian Treasury is the way in which it is presented.
The Treasury
After traveling on the Sacred Way in a westwardly direction, the direction of the path turns north at the Siphnian Treasury. So the first view of the Treasury would be the east side. This Treasury also served as a temple which is located in antis, to be entered from the west. It comes right after the Sicyonian Treasury. The Siphnian Treasury is 8.55 x 6.12 meters in dimension and it is of the ionic order, with slender voluted capitals. The foundation is made of limestone and the rest of the structure is of Parian marble, "probably the oldest marble building on the Hellenic mainland" (Poulsen, 102). It was mistakenly identified as the Cnidian Treasury before due to some inscriptions on the stairs of the Treasury which were determined to be dated three hundred years afterwards (Poulsen, 102). There |