The oracles of Greece and the sibyls of Rome were women chosen by the gods through which divine advice would be spoken through them. They were popular throughout the great empires and pilgrims would make their way from far off places just to ask them a question and receive the answer of a god.

Why are oracles so important?

An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination.

Why did people seek the oracles?

If you knew what was going to happen, you could always choose the best path. In the ancient world, people used to visit oracles for just this purpose. Oracles were places where people could receive prophecies. Prophecies were predictions about what would happen, sent down from the gods.