Immediately in front of the Temple of Apollo is the Monumental Altar (6th century BC),which is 22m long and made from limestone covered by marble slabs. Religious rites,including animal sacrifices, were carried out here. The great Greek poet of the age, Callimachus, describes in his famous Hymn to Apollo scenes of sacrificing bulls, the altar adorned with flowers and crowds of dancing young people. Note also the reconstructed Sacred Fountain, or nymphaeum, with its attractive lions and columns.
