Dodona
Dodona (/doʊˈdoʊnə/; Doric Greek: Δωδώνα, romanized: Dōdṓnā, Ionic and Attic Greek: Δωδώνη, Dōdṓnē) in Epirus in northwestern Greece was the oldest Hellenic oracle, possibly dating to the 2nd millennium BCE according to Herodotus. The earliest accounts in Homer describe Dodona as an oracle of Zeus. Situated in a remote region away from the main Greek poleis, it was considered second only to the Oracle of Delphi in prestige.
Δωδώνη | |
View of the bouleuterion in Dodona | |
Shown within Greece | |
| Location | Dodoni, Ioannina, Epirus, Greece |
|---|---|
| Region | Epirus |
| Coordinates | 39°32′47″N 20°47′16″E |
| Type | City and sanctuary |
| History | |
| Founded | Second Millennium BCE |
| Abandoned | 391–392 CE |
| Periods | Mycenaean Greek to Roman Imperial |
| Cultures | Greek, Roman |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Aristotle considered the region around Dodona to have been part of Hellas and the region where the Hellenes originated. The oracle was first under the control of the Thesprotians before it passed into the hands of the Molossians. It remained an important religious sanctuary until the rise of Christianity during the Late Roman era.