Ploutonion at Hierapolis

Plutos Gate redirects here.

Pluto, see Ploutonion.

For similar shrines to superior powers and had divine protection.[4][6]

An enclosed area of 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft)
stood in front of the entrance. It was covered by a thick
layer of suocating gas, killing everyone who dared to
enter this area. The priests sold birds and other animals
to the visitors, so that they could try out how deadly this
enclosed area was. Visitors could (for a fee) ask questions of the oracle of Pluto. This provided a considerable
source of income for the temple. The entrance to the
Ploutonion was closed o during the Christian times.[3]

The Ploutonion at Hierapolis (Ancient Greek: , lit Place of Pluto"; Latin: Plutonium) or
Plutos Gate[1] was a ploutonion (a religious site dedicated to the god Pluto) (another name for the god Hades)
in the ancient city of Hierapolis near Pamukkale in modern Turkey's Denizli Province. The site was discovered
in 1965 by Italian archaeologists, who published reports
on their excavations throughout the decade.[2] In 2013, The ancient historian Strabo described the gate as follows:
it was further explored by Italian archaeologists led by
Francesco D'Andria, a professor of archaeology at the
Any animal that passes inside
University of Salento.[3]
meets instant death.
I threw
in sparrows and they immediately
breathed their last and fell[4]

History

Though the exact age of the site is currently unknown, 1.1 Destruction
the nearby city of Hierapolis was founded around the year
Archaeological evidence suggests that the site was fully
190 BC by the King of Pergamum, Eumenes II.[3]
functional until the 4th century AD, but remained a place
The site is built on top of a cave which emits toxic gases,
of sporadic visitation by visitors for the next two cenhence its use as a ritual passage to the underworld. Ritturies. The temple was destroyed in the 6th century AD
ual animal sacrices were common at the site. Animals
by Christians, while later earthquakes may have further
would be thrown into the cave and pulled back out with
damaged the site.[3]
ropes that had been tied to them. Archaeologists noted
that the fumes emitted from the cavern still maintain
their deadly properties as they recorded passing birds, attracted by the warm air, suocated after breathing the 2 References
toxic fumes.[3]
The Ploutonion was described by several ancient writers
including Strabo,[4] Cassius Dio and Damascius . It is
a small cave, just large enough for one person to enter
through a fenced entrance, beyond which stairs go down,
and from which emerges suocating carbon dioxide gas
caused by underground geologic activity. Behind the 3
square metres (32 sq ft) roofed chamber is a deep cleft
in the rock, through which fast owing hot water passes
releasing a sharp smelling gas.[3][5] Because people died
in the gas, people thought that the gas was sent by Pluto,
god of the underworld.

[1] D'Andria, Francesco. "Gate to Hell Found in Turkey".

Discovery News 29 March 2013. Accessed 1 June 2013.

During the early years of the town, the castrated priests of

Cybele known as the Galli descended into the Ploutonion,
crawled over the oor to pockets of oxygen or held their
breath. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air and so tends
to settle in hollows. They then came up to show that they
were immune to the gas. People believed a miracle had
happened and that therefore the priests were infused with

[4] Strabo, Geographica 13.4.14

[2] Piccardi, Luigi (2007). The AD 60 Denizli Basin earthquake and the apparition of Archangel Michael at Colossae (Aegean Turkey)". In Piccardi, L.; Masse, W. B. Myth
and Geology. Special Publication. 273. Geological Society of London. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-86239-216-8.
[3] Lorenzi, Rossella (29 March 2013). Plutos Gate Uncovered in Turkey. Discovery News. Retrieved 2 April
2013.

[5] Bean, G. E. (1976). Hierapolis (Pamukkale) Turkey.

In Stillwell, Richard; MacDonald, William L.; McAlister,
Marian Holland. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical
Sites. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
[6] Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historiae 2.95

3 FURTHER READING

Further reading
Ramsay, William M. (2004). The Cities And Bishoprics Of Phyrgia: Being An Essay Of The Local
History Of Phrygia From The Earliest Times To The
Turkish Conquest. Kessinger Publishing. p. 86.
ISBN 9781419172830.
Francesco DAndria, Cehennem'den Cennet'e Hierapolis (Pamukkale). Ploutonion. Aziz Philippusun
Mezar ve Kutsal Alan. Ege Yaynlar, Istanbul
2014. ISBN 978-605-4701-45-2

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

4.1

Text

Ploutonion at Hierapolis Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ploutonion_at_Hierapolis?oldid=755060303 Contributors: BDD,

Rjwilmsi, Cydebot, Hebrides, Cynwolfe, Magioladitis, ClarkSui, Johnbod, Karmos, Yobot, AnomieBOT, LlywelynII, AlexanderVanLoon,
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the Bot and Anonymous: 10

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Images

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License: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors: Own work using:
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4.3

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