HIGH PRIESTESS
Writer / Director: Daphna Rubin
Executive Producers: Steve Hoggard, Daphna Rubin, Ernest H. Hundlieb
In ancient Greece, the Oracle of Delphi was revered for her prophesies.
She was consulted by kings and peasants alike. Her pronouncements could mean the difference between war and peace… But her words were often open to interpretation and were just as likely to confuse as enlighten. At times, she was said to slip into incomprehensible rants – thought to be ‘inspired’ by the gods…
Was the Oracle really speaking with the power of the god Apollo, as was believed?
Or was the the High Priestess of Apollo truly “high”?
The Oracle of Delphi, human mistress of the god Apollo, had the power to communicate his prophecies and advice.
Accounts from the time describe how she breathed in vapors rising from the temple floor before communing with the god. But modern scholars have long discounted these reports.
In this story, a dynamic-duo of scientists set out to investigate clues scattered through ancient literature and in the geology of Delphi itself to uncover evidence that explains the oracle’s ‘powers’.
What they ultimately discover has more to do with the natural forces of geology in the form of petrochemical fumes than anything supernatural…