In the year 548 B.C. the great temple to Apollo at Delphi, the work of the legendary architects Agamedes and Trophonius, was destroyed by fire. Of the four temples to the same deity that had been reared upon the same site, this was the first in which marble was employed as a building material. Naturally the question will present itself, how could a temple built of marble be destroyed by fire? The answer is, that while the main walls of the cell and the columns, entablatures, pediments and other exposed parts of the early Greek temples were built of marble, stone or sun-dried bricks, the roofs were generally of wood, and were heavily timbered, sometimes calling for great strength to support marble tiles. Much of the interior building material was also of wood, as well as the statuary with which the earlier temples were lavished and enriched. Thus if fire was started within the building, either by accident or, as not infrequently happened, by the hand of an incendiary, there was sufficient combustible material for it to feed upon and to heat the entire structure, reducing the otherwise enduring marble to crumbling lime. The temple of Apollo having been thus destroyed, the much revered and highly respected Oracle was left without shelter and a place of business. This state of things of course could not long be allowed to continue, and the Amphictyons, a legislative body, having under its special care the Delphic temple, at once came to the front and ordered a new temple built at a cost of about $300,000. One-fourth of this sum was to be paid by the Delphians and the remaining three-fourths were to be contributed by the other cities of Greece and those nations which were in the habit of consulting the Oracle—a very proper distribution of the expense, considering how extensive and widespread was the renown and appreciation of the priestess. Amasis, King of Egypt, volunteered a thousand talents of alumina, thus showing what his feelings were in the matter, and the Alcmæonidæ, one of the oldest and most aristocratic families of Athens, undertook the contract, it is hinted, mainly for political reasons. This may be true, as they were much involved in local politics, especially with the banishment of Pisistratus, the tyrant, and they may have seen an opportunity in the rebuilding of this temple to make themselves very popular. They certainly went about it in the right way to achieve such a result, and did actually gain much influence by their generosity and the broadminded manner in which they disregarded the strict terms of the contract to do handsomer and better work than it called for. One particular illustration of their liberality has attracted the attention of the historian: it was the building of the temple in Parian marble, instead of Porine stone. While the Alcmæonidæ were prosecuting the work in this generous spirit, they did not neglect their fallen enemies, the Pisistratidæ, and threw out