Sacred sanctuary of the Dodona Oracle.

Sacred 'Shimmering Oaks' at the ruined sanctuary of the Ancient Dodona Oracle. The oracle of Zeus and Dione at Dodona in Epirus, in north west Greece was located in a high, narrow valley beneath the Tomaros mountain. The sanctuary seems to have been focused on an oak tree, the famous 'shimmering oak'. Evidence for these oracular consultations comprises lead tablets, elasmata, with questions inscribed on them. The answer was inscribed on the back - often just a 'yes' or 'no'. Over four thousand tablets have been discovered, the oldest date from the 6th century BC. Most of the questions asked at Dodona were written by individuals, men, women and even slaves, and a number of questions were also posed by communities or poleis, city states., by DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY