I heard on Fox News.Com last week about a "gate to hell" and I must admit this was the first time I can ever remembered hearing about such a place located in the world. They reported that Italian archaeologist announced it had emerged from ruins in southwestern Turkey.
The cave is known as "Pluto’s Gate" – Ploutonion in Greek, Plutonium in Latin, and it has been celebrated as the portal to the underworld in Greco-Roman mythology and tradition.
I like passing onto readers interesting historic findings and information when I hear it or read about it. Fox News.Com reported that according to historic sources the opening of the cave has been described as being filled with lethal mephitic vapors. Its site is located in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis which is now called Pamukkale.
"This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground; and any animal passing inside meets instant death," according to the Greek geographer Strabo (64/63 BC…about 24 AD) wrote.
Strabo stated, "He had thrown in sparrows and immediately they breathed their last and they fell."
This must be a dangerous and mysterious place and not fit for life to exist within its cave walls. Can we possibly imagine the vaporous mists and fumes that can be found there in the darkness of the cave? Should man fear its existence?
Fox News.Com indicated this find was made by a team led by Francesco D’Andria, Professor of classic archaeology at the University of Salento, and it was announced at a conference on Italian archaeology held in Istanbul, Turkey.
This was not D’Andria’s first find either; he has also conducted archeological research at the World Heritage Site of Hierapolis. A couple years ago D’Andria claimed to have located the Tomb of Saint Philip, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.
It was also reported that Hierapolis was founded around 190 C.C. by Eucenes II, King of Pergamum (197 B.C. – 159 B.C.), and it was given to Rome in 133 B.C.
The Hellenistic city was developed and became a booming Rome city, having temples, a theater and a popular sacred hot springs, and it was said that the spring has healing properties as well.
D’Andria told the Discovery News, "We found the Plutonium by reconstructing the route of a thermal spring. The springs, known as the Pamukkale’, produce famous white travertine terraces which are originated from the cave."
Fox News.Com reported it features a vast array of abandoned broken ruins, possibly from earthquakes as they’re revealing more ruins at the site while excavating.
There were lonic semi columns and, inscribed on top of them, a dedication to the deities of the underworld…Pluto and Kore, according to archaeologists.
It was also reported that D’Andria had also found a temple’s remains, a pool and a series of steps that were placed above the cave…all that matches the descriptions of the site in ancient sources.
It is believed that people watched the sacred rites from the steps but it wasn’t possible for them to get to the cave’s opening. No one but priests were permitted to stand in front of the portal, according to D’Andria.
According to the archaeologist, a sort of touristic organization existed at the site. The pilgrims would be given small birds to test the deadly effects of the cave on them and hallucinated priests sacrificed bulls to Pluto.
Fox News.Com reported animals were lead into the cave and dragged out dead as part of their ceremony.
It was reported by the archaeologists, "We saw the cave’s lethal properties as they were exacavating because several birds died as they tried to get close to the cave’s warm opening and they were instantly killed by carbon."
Barbara Kasey Smith is the writer of this article based on a Fox News.Com report.
Source:
Fox News.Com
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