Abae

Abae was an ancient city in northeastern Phokis whose sanctuary of Apollo ranked among the notable oracle sites of the Greek world. The Lydian king Croesus is said to have consulted it, and the Thebans sought its guidance before the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. The temple was burned by the Persians in 480 BC, razed again during the Third Sacred War in 352 BC, and partially rebuilt under the emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century AD. Visible today are remnants of the ancient circuit wall and acropolis — understated traces of a site layered with religious significance, military destruction, and Roman-era renewal.