Report copyright infringement by Charles River (Author) In ancient Greece, "no other practice was so universal than the consultation of oracles." These holy sites were found in 260 locations around the Greek-speaking world, and they were considered the "most satisfactory means of ascertaining the future." These sanctuaries were "set apart from the profane, ordinary world" and were in the beginning restricted to natural locations where the divine was thought to be "especially present." They were set aside for special spiritual functions, and a state of purity was generally required of its participants. A historical tendency toward providing haven for criminals was based on the fear of shedding blood in a holy place, and the "fear that the evil magic would emanate from his curse." Of course, the Oracle of Delphi was one of the greatest religious institutions in ancient Greece and one which played a significant role not only in the formation and collective decisions of Hellenic localities and city-states but also in the personal lives of Greeks. The site was dedicated to the god Apollo, and the Greeks believed the god spoke his oracles through his prophetess, known as the Pythia. The judgments and decisions rendered by the oracle were so important to the Greeks that they often put them above all other interests, even security threats posed by the likes of the Persians, and Delphi was popular even amongst outsiders. Aside from Delphi, the most prominent oracles were located near Colophon, Xanthus, Claros, Branchidae, Olympia, and Dodona, and all the Greek oracles have been found in places with "extraordinary natural features" connected to their powers. The Oracle of Dodona was the oldest of all, and it was one of the few dedicated to Zeus and his consort goddess Dione. The oracular utterances heard at the oracles are generally referred to as "smokiness" in Greek, but at Dodona, the answers came in natural sounds and other peripheral phenomena. Unlike Apollo, Zeus traditionally had only one oracle: the Oracle of Dodona. The Oracle of Dodona was considered to be the oldest oracle in Greece and was originally dedicated to Rhea, Zeus' mother (this was widely known in Greece), but he displaced her over time. The Oracle (always a woman) would listen to the sound of the wind in the leaves of oak trees dedicated to Zeus and interpret the sound as the god's voice. Much later, Zeus also "adopted" the Oracle at Siwa in the Libyan desert. The Siwa Oracle was one of the "Sibyls" of the ancient world, and when she was visited by Alexander the Great, she predicted his rise to power and informed him of his divine heritage as Zeus's son.