One should not think that it was only in modern times that behind-the-scenes forces appeared, external to the governments of any states, and influencing world politics.
Pythias
The oracle in Delphi, in the Greek region of Phocis, at the foot of Mount Parnassus, has been revered since ancient times. This cult arose even before the arrival of the Greeks, as is clear from the fact that the Greeks initially considered this oracle to belong to the chthonic goddess Gaia and only then dedicated it to the Olympian god Apollo.
Priestesses - pythia became soothsayers. They were called Pythias because in pre-Hellenic times the temple was considered a guarded dragon Pifo (the name of the snake genus - pythons - is related to this word). There was a special institution for the selection of these priestesses and the transfer of mastery (apprenticeship) by them, but nothing is known about it, except that it was. The Pythias uttered their prophecies in a trance state, sitting on a tripod over a crevice in the rock, from which some fumes rose.
The land of Greece is full of manifestations of volcanic forces, but at present there are no smoking cracks on the slope of Parnassus. However, it is possible that it was the extinction of the underground elements in this place that led to the cessation of the activity of the Delphic oracle back in the era of Roman rule. True, not all historians agree that the Pythias inhaled underground (probably sulfuric) vapors, and believe that we should be talking about special drugs.
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Ambiguous sayings
The Delphic oracle was revered not only in Greece, but also in other countries. Associated with this are two of the most famous stories about how the Pythia uttered predictions in a deliberately ambiguous form.
The first refers to the last king of Lydia (in Asia Minor) Croesus. Thinking of going to war against the growing Persian power, he asked the oracle about the outcome of the planned enterprise. To which he received the answer that if he crosses the (border) river, he will destroy the great kingdom. Croesus decided that it was about Persia, and only after being defeated by the Persians and taken prisoner (he committed suicide in captivity), he realized that he had destroyed a great kingdom - his own.
The second story refers to early Rome and, very possibly, was invented by the Romans late, when they wanted to show their involvement in ancient Greek culture. As part of the embassy sent by the last Roman (Etruscan) king Tarquin the Proud to Delphi, along with the royal sons, there was a certain Brutus. When the oracle was asked which of those present would inherit the kingdom, the Oracle replied: "Who will kiss his mother first." Brutus allegedly stumbled at this moment and fell and, unnoticed by those present, kissed the earth - the mother of all living things (recall that the temple in Delphi was dedicated to Gaia from ancient times). On his return to Rome, Brutus led an uprising against Etruscan rule, which ended in the expulsion of the kings and the proclamation of a republic.
Secret policy makers
The formal subjects of politics in ancient Greece were city-states - city states. But religious associations around temples, which included various policies, played a huge political role as regulators of interstate relations. This role has not yet been fully clarified by historians.
The Delphic Oracle developed the logistics of the Great Greek colonization, which unfolded in the VIII-V centuries. BC. Each policy that was going to withdraw the colony sent an embassy to Delphi, and there he was told exactly where the colony should be founded. It follows from this that the priests of Apollo were very well aware of the geographical and political situation in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, and the Great colonization itself, which lasted four centuries, had a well-thought-out plan.
Needless to say, all the embassies to the oracle were accompanied by rich gifts. This is probably why the Pythias at some point switched from the sayings of the prophecies just once a year, first to a monthly, and then to a daily “work schedule”.