{"id":3112,"date":"2013-04-11T12:24:02","date_gmt":"2013-04-11T11:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/?p=3112"},"modified":"2015-01-23T10:31:54","modified_gmt":"2015-01-23T10:31:54","slug":"archaeologist-unearths-the-gates-of-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/2013\/04\/archaeologist-unearths-the-gates-of-hell\/","title":{"rendered":"Archaeologist Unearths the Gates of Hell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A recent archaeology conference in Turkey witnessed a startling revelation by the Italian archaeologist Professor Francesco D\u2019Andria of the University of Salento. The Professor claimed that, during excavations in the spectacular Turkish town of Pamukkale, he believes that his team have unearthed the Gates of Hell. Pamukkale\u2019s name translates as \u2018cotton castle\u2019, referring to its startling white rock terraces, created by mineral deposits from local hot water springs. These springs and the fabulous landscape they generate have attracted visitors for millennia, the Ancient Greeks and Romans dubbing the place Heirapolis, or \u2018sacred city\u2019 in the 2nd<\/sup> Century BC, famed for its spas and temples. If Professor D\u2019Andria is right, it was also a place of unholy pilgrimage\u2026\"\"<\/p>\n

According to Greco-Roman mythology, the Underworld was ruled by Pluto \u2013 also known as Hades \u2013 the dark god who presided over the souls of the dead. Furthermore, some insisted that there were entrances to his hellish realm to be found in the mortal world \u2013 known in Latin as \u2018Plutoniums\u2019 \u2013 though it was wise to approach such gateways with caution. The learned Greek traveller Strabo wrote that he visited one such gate in the 1st<\/sup> Century. He describes the Plutonium as \u2018full of a vapour so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground.<\/p>\n

\"\"Any animal that passes inside meets instant death,\u2019 adding that he tested it by throwing some sparrows into the gate which, sure enough, straightaway dropped stone dead. Professor D\u2019Andria thinks he\u2019s found the Gate to Hell that Strabo described.<\/p>\n

The Professor explained that he has discovered a site sacred to Pluto \u2013 complete with a temple, a sacred pool, and steps leading to the Plutonium itself \u2013 where priests and pilgrims would almost literally raise Hell. \u201cPeople could watch the sacred rites from these steps, but they could not get to the area near the opening. Only the priests could stand in front of the portal,\u201d theorised the archaeologist, speculating that visitors were encouraged to throw birds into the opening, in order to prove its deadly power, while the priests inhaled the vapours, inducing prophetic hallucinations. \u201cWe could see the cave\u2019s lethal properties during the excavation,\u201d added D\u2019Andria. \u201cSeveral birds died as they tried to get close to the warm opening, instantly killed by the carbon dioxide fumes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you think Professor D\u2019Andria\u2019s really unearthed a Plutonium \u2013 or it\u2019s just so much hot air \u2013 you can\u2019t deny that Hell remains a fascinating, if daunting, proposition. We\u2019ve revisited it on more than one occasion here at Alchemy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Consider, for example, our wickedly eye-catching\u00a0\u00a0Hell\u2019s Grate bracelet [A27]<\/strong><\/em>\u2013 a perfect fit for any of Pluto\u2019s reluctant guests.<\/p>\n

Or, indeed, our Hell\u2019s Doorman ring [R176],<\/strong><\/em> the last word in unholy Underworld accessories. (Available for a limited period only) …<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If any of our products pictured below take your fancy, or you are interested in purchasing other Alchemy’s Darkest Treasures, click the link to take you to our Worldwide Alchemy Online Dealers… Tempted?… www.alchemyengland.com\/buy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Alchemy Editorial Team
\nwww.AlchemyEngland.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent archaeology conference in Turkey witnessed a startling revelation by the Italian archaeologist Professor Francesco D\u2019Andria of the University of Salento.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[64,378,379,380,381],"class_list":["post-3112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-gothic","tag-greek","tag-hells-gate","tag-mythology","tag-romans"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3112"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5071,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3112\/revisions\/5071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alchemyengland.com\/site\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}