Necromanteion of Acheron: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
prod |
m →Background: fix Poseidon link Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit App section source |
||
| (156 intermediate revisions by 97 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|Ancient Greek temple of necromancy}} |
|||
{{dated prod|concern = Textdump, possible copyvio|month = February|day = 20|year = 2008|time = 07:34|timestamp = 20080220073446}} |
|||
The '''Nekromanteion''' ({{langx|el|Νεκρομαντεῖον}}) was an ancient Greek temple of [[necromancy]] devoted to [[Hades#King of the underworld|Hades]] and [[Persephone]]. According to tradition, it was located on the banks of the [[Acheron]] river in [[Epirus]], near the ancient city of [[Kichyro|Ephyra]]. This site was believed by devotees to be the door to [[Greek underworld|Hades]], the realm of the dead. The site is at the meeting point of the Acheron, [[Phlegethon|Pyriphlegethon]] and [[Cocytus]] rivers, believed to flow through and water the kingdom of Hades. The meaning of the names of the rivers has been interpreted to be "joyless", "burning coals" and "lament", respectively.<ref>Olalla, Pedro. ''Mythological Atlas of Greece.'' Athens: Road Editions, 2002, p. 38. See also map 20 in this book.</ref> |
|||
<!-- Do not use the "dated prod" template directly; the above line is generated by "subst:prod|reason" --> |
|||
'''Nekromanteion of Acheron River''' |
|||
A site in Mesopotamos, [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]] was proposed as the site of the Necromanteion in 1958, but this identification is now questioned. |
|||
'''Geography:''' Near the village Mesopotamos, Municipality of Fanari, Prefecture of Preveza Greece, there is the hill Xylokastro, with a church of the 18th century, the church of Saint John the Prodromus, or Saint John the Baptist. Exactly under the church, archaeologists discovered in 1958 the famous Ancient Nekyomanteion or Nekromanteio (= Oracle of the Dead) of Ephyra, or the Nekromanteio of Acheron River. In the area of Fanari, there was a famous lake in the antiquity, the lake Acherousia. This lake has been drainage before 2nd World War, so all the geography of the area has changes dramatically by artificial canals. |
|||
==Background== |
|||
'''Greek Mythology:''' Hades (Άδης in Greek) is the lord of the dead and ruler of the nether world, which is referred to as the domain of Hades or, by transference, as Hades alone. He is the son of Cronus (Κρόνος) and Rhea (Ρέα). When the three sons of Cronus divided the world among each other, Hades was given the underworld, while his brothers Zeus (Δίας) and Poseidon (Ποσειδών) took the upperworld and the sea respectively. He ruled the underworld together with Persephone, whom he abducted from the upperworld. Zeus ordered him to release Persephone back into the care of her mother Demeter, but before she left he gave her a pomegranate (ρόδι). When she ate it, it bound her to the underworld forever. Hades sits on a throne made of ebony, and carries a scepter. He also has a helmet, given to him by the Cyclopes, which makes him invisible. Hades rules the dead, assisted by various (demonic) helpers, such as Thanatos (Θάνατος) and Hy |
|||
pnos (Ύπνος), the ferryman Charon (Χάρων), and the hound dog Cerberus (Κέρβερος). Many heroes from Greek mythology have descended into the underworld, either to question the shades or trying to free them. Although Hades does not allow his subjects to leave his domain, on several occasions he has granted permission, such as the time Orpheus (Ορφεύς) requested the return of his beloved Eurydice (Ευρυδίκη). Hades possesses the riches of the earth, and is referred to as “the Rich One”, possibly also because as Sophocles writes, “the gloomy Hades enriches himself with our sighs and our tears”. Between of all the gods, Hades is the one who is liked less and even the gods themselves have an aversion of him. People avoided speaking his name lest they attracted his unwanted attention. With their faces averted they sacrificed black sheep, whose blood they let drip into pits, and when they prayed to him, they would bang their hands on the ground. The narcissus and the cypress (κυπαρίσσι) are sacred to him. Other names include Clymenus (Κλύμενος, “notorious”), Eubuleus (Ευβουλεύς, “well-guessing”) and Polydegmon (Πολυδέγμων, ή Πολυδεύκης, “who receives many”). |
|||
The word ''Necromanteion'' means "[[Oracle]] of the Dead", and the faithful came here to talk with their dead ancestors. Although other [[Greek temple|ancient temples]] such as the Temple of [[Poseidon]] in [[Cape Matapan|Taenaron]] as well as those in [[Argolis]], [[Cumae]], and [[Heraclea Pontica|Herakleia in Pontos]] are known to have housed oracles of the dead, the Necromanteion of Ephyra was the most important.<ref name=newsfinder>[http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/the_nekromanteio_at_acheron/ Newsfinder (2002) "The Nekromanteio at Acheron"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150607193200/http://www.newsfinder.org/site/more/the_nekromanteio_at_acheron/ |date=2015-06-07 }}, Accessed: October 13, 2008.</ref> It belonged to the [[Thesprotians]], the local [[Epirus|Epirot]] Greek tribe. |
|||
'''Ephyra:''' Ephyra was a very old city of Epirus. It stood on the site of an ancient cult of the divinity of death. Bronze Age finds in the area and information given by the ancient sources, have led to the identification of the ancient site as the hill of Xylokastro which is surrounded by a cyclopean Mycenaean wall and an inner circuit in polygonal masonry. South of Ephyra at the confluence of the two rivers, the Acheron and the Kokytos, was the famous Oracle of the Dead, the Nekyomanteion of the Acheron River. The ancients visited Nekyomanteion to consult the souls of the dead who, n leaving their bodies, acquired knowledge of the future. Thus once upon a time Odysseus too had gone to the edge of the Ocean where he sacrificed lamps, letting their blood run into the abyss of the earth. When he had done this, the souls of the dead began to rise from the Erebus (dark passage leading to Hades). Beneath the walls of the Monastery of Aghios Ioannis Prodromus (St John the Baptist) (beginning of the 18th century), excavations have brought to light the ancient Nekyomanteion, built during the 3rd century BC. Believers entered a dark passageway and the priest led them into special rooms for preparation. There they had to follow the necessary diet in order to be cleansed of any contamination, and to make the prescribed sacrifices. Then only could they enter the large dark hall with the arch, the Palace of Hades and Persephone, to meet the souls of the dead. |
|||
According to Herodotus' account, it was to the Necromanteion that [[Periander]], the 6th century BC tyrant of [[Ancient Corinth|Corinth]], sent [[legation|legates]] to ask questions of his dead wife, Melissa.<ref>Herodotus. ''Histories'', 5.92.</ref> In Homer's ''[[Odyssey]]'', the Necromanteion was also described as the entrance by which [[Odysseus]] made his [[katabasis]].<ref>''Odyssey'' x 513ff</ref> |
|||
==Ritual use== |
|||
'''The Oracle of the dead:''' The ancient Nekyomanteion or Nekromanteion lies on the north bank of the mythical Acheron River. In ancient times the sanctuary belonged to the Thesprotians, one of the early Greek tribes who settled in Epirus about 2000 BC. Mycenaean installations dating from the 14th century BC have been noted in the region, Ephyra, 500m to the north of Nekromanteion, and Toryni, to the east of Parga, at the site of Kiperi. The sanctuary was discovered on the crest of a rocky hill, the hill of Xylokastro, beneath the ruins of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist (18th century), during excavations conducted by professor Sotirios Dakaris in the years 1958-1964 and 1976-1977. The main sanctuary is surrounded by a rectangular polygonal enclosure wall with an entrance on the north side. It is square in plan and divided by two parallel walls into a large main hall and six store rooms. Beneath the main hall there is a basement room of the same size, the ceiling of which is formed by fifteen porous stone arches. This is the sacred room itself, the Palace of Hades and Persephone, where the ghosts of the dead appeared to communicate which those consulting the oracle. The tripartite structure of the building strongly reminds the idea of the Underworld. The pilgrims were subjected to three stages of physical and spiritual tests during their long-lasting stay in the dark rooms of the oracle. Through isolation, magical rituals, prayers and invocations, wandering in the dark corridors, having the common faith in the apparition of the dead, and being obliged to follow a special diet, they were appropriately prepared to meet the souls of the dead." Smaller rooms and corridors have been located to the north, south and east of the main sanctuary, which were used to prepare visitors psychologically and physically, since they believed that contact between the living and the dead was not unattended by danger. These rooms, like the main sanctuary, date from the late 4th to early 3rd century BC. Late still, at the end of the 3rd century BC, when the fame of the sanctuary had down, store rooms and residential quarters for the priests and visitors were added to the west of the original complex, around a central courtyard. The Nekromanteio was burned down by the Romans under Aemilius Paulus in 167 BC. The west courtyard was reoccupied in the first century BC. From that time onwards the region went into decline. In the 18th century aC, a monastery of the St. John the Baptist was built on the ancient ruins. |
|||
Ritual use of the Necromanteion involved elaborate ceremonies wherein celebrants seeking to speak to the dead would start by gathering in the [[ziggurat]]-like temple<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://utenti.lycos.it/giuliodeflorio/oracle/oracolo.htm |title=Ephyra's Nekromanteion |access-date=2008-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321225252/http://utenti.lycos.it/giuliodeflorio/oracle/oracolo.htm |archive-date=2008-03-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and consuming a meal of broad beans, pork, barley bread, oysters, and a [[narcotic]] compound.<ref name=newsfinder/><ref name=mlahanas>[http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/InventionsC.htm Ancient Greek Inventions (Michael Lahanas)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130124615/http://mlahanas.de/Greeks/InventionsC.htm |date=2009-01-30 }}</ref> Following a cleansing ceremony and the sacrifice of sheep, the faithful would descend through a [[chthonic]] series of meandering corridors leaving offerings as they passed through a number of iron gates. The nekromanteia would pose a series of questions and chant prayers and the celebrants would then witness the priest arise from the floor and begin to fly through the temple through the use of [[Mechane|theatrical cranes]].<ref name=mlahanas/> |
|||
'''Mobile Archaeological Findings:''' Many objects have been found during excavations, dating from this period and attesting to the prosperity of the sanctuary. Many of them are statuettes of Persephone from terracotta, many vessels but, the most important of them comes from the basement room, the Sacred Crypt. This is the remains of a device, a kind of crane (‘’anaspastron’’ in Greek), used to make the figures of the deceased appear to the pilgrims. This may also have been the reason why the walls in the main sanctuary were so thick (3.30m), making it possible to create secret passageways 1,50m or 2.40m wide, along which the priests could move unobserved. This device, combined with the side-effects of the special diet of beans and lupines to which the pilgrims were subjected, created the necessary preconditions for communicating with the soul of the dead. Visitors departed from the sanctuary by a different road, and were required to keep silent about all they had seen and heard, to avoid being guilty of impiety towards the Gods of the Underworld. |
|||
==Disputed archaeological site== |
|||
'''NOTICE:''' Photography in Nekromanteio is permitted with a portable camera, not using flash. A special permit is required for the use of flash, a tripod, or a video recorder. (Ministry of Culture of Greece). Before your visit in Nekromanteio, you can enjoy a full photo presentation by '''Dr. Harry Gouvas''', in the website of “Museum of Arts and Sciences Harry Gouvas”, in Preveza Greece: http://prevezamuseum.spaces.live.com or contact with it at prevezamuseum@gmail.com. |
|||
An archaeological site discovered in 1958 and excavated during 1958–64 and 1976–77 was identified as the Necromanteion by archaeologist Sotirios Dakaris based on its geographical location and its similarities to descriptions found in [[Herodotus]] and [[Homer]].<ref>S. Dakaris, ''The Antiquity of Epirus: The Acheron Necromanteion: Ephyra-Pandosia-Coassope'' (Athens, 1973); ''idem'', in: ''The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites'' (1976), pp. 310f. s.v. ''Ephyra''</ref> However, its topographical situation on a hill commanding the immediate neighbourhood does not fit this interpretation and the ruins dated to no earlier than the later 4th century BC.<ref>D. Baatz, "Teile hellenistischer Geschütze aus Griechenland", ''Archäologischer Anzeiger'' 1979 (1979), pp. 68-75.</ref> |
|||
It is now also believed that the site was a fortified farmhouse of a sort common in the [[Hellenistic period]].<ref>J. Wiseman, [https://archive.archaeology.org/9805/abstracts/insight.html "Rethinking the 'Halls of Hades'"], ''Archaeology'' 51.3 (1998), pp. 12-18; D. Baatz, "Wehrhaftes Wohnen. Ein befestigter hellenistischer Adelssitz bei Ephyra (Nordgriechenland)", ''Antike Welt'' 30.2 (1999), pp. 151-155.</ref> |
|||
Besides quantities of household ceramics, the site produced agricultural tools and weaponry, including Roman [[pilum|pila]] from the final destruction of the site by the Romans in 167 BC.<ref>Livy 45.34.</ref> Most surprising of all were 21 washers (the distinctive bronze ''modioli'') from at least seven different catapults, which Dakaris had mistakenly identified as components from a crane.<ref>D. Baatz, "Hellenistische Katapulte aus Ephyra (Epirus)", ''Mitteilungen des deutschen archäologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung'' 97 (1982), pp. 211-233; D.B. Campbell, ''Greek and Roman Artillery, 399 BC-AD 363'' (Oxford, 2003), pp. 13-14 and plate B (p. 26).</ref> |
|||
=== Timeline === |
|||
*8th century BC – Necromanteion described by [[Homer]]. |
|||
*5th century BC – Necromanteion described by [[Herodotus]]. |
|||
*Late 4th century BC – Site building erected. |
|||
*167 BC – Site burned down by the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]]. |
|||
<gallery> |
|||
File:DSCF6210 Νεκρομαντειο του Αχεροντα.jpg |
|||
File:DSCF6131 Νεκρομαντειο του Αχεροντα.jpg |
|||
File:DSCF6205 Νεκρομαντειο του Αχεροντα.jpg|Pottery at the Necromanteion |
|||
File:Basement of Necromanteion.jpg|One of the tunnels on the site |
|||
File:Labyrinth halls at Nekromanteion.jpg|Halls leading to the central room |
|||
File:Nekromanteion Main Sanctuary.jpg|Central room |
|||
File:Nekromateion Underground Tunnel.jpg|Tunnel |
|||
<!-- File:Aerial view of the archaeological site of Nekromanteion.jpg|Aerial view of the archaeological site of Nekromanteion from 1958 --> |
|||
</gallery> |
|||
== References == |
|||
{{Reflist}} |
|||
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Did Hades accept visitors? The acoustical properties of the underground crypt of the Acheron Nekromanteion, Preveza, Greece. |url=https://ikee.lib.auth.gr/record/124480/files/Did |website=ikee.lib.auth.gr}}</ref> Conference paper about the acoustic properties of the crypt of Acheron Necromantion |
|||
{{coord|39.2362|N|20.5345|E|source:wikidata|display=title}} |
|||
{{Authority control}} |
|||
[[Category:1958 archaeological discoveries]] |
|||
[[Category:Ancient Greek geography]] |
|||
[[Category:Temples in ancient Epirus]] |
|||
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Preveza (regional unit)]] |
|||
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Epirus (region)]] |
|||
[[Category:Classical oracles]] |
|||
[[Category:Hades]] |
|||
[[Category:Temples of Persephone]] |
|||
[[Category:Necromancy]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 02:38, 30 November 2024
The Nekromanteion (Greek: Νεκρομαντεῖον) was an ancient Greek temple of necromancy devoted to Hades and Persephone. According to tradition, it was located on the banks of the Acheron river in Epirus, near the ancient city of Ephyra. This site was believed by devotees to be the door to Hades, the realm of the dead. The site is at the meeting point of the Acheron, Pyriphlegethon and Cocytus rivers, believed to flow through and water the kingdom of Hades. The meaning of the names of the rivers has been interpreted to be "joyless", "burning coals" and "lament", respectively.[1]
A site in Mesopotamos, Epirus was proposed as the site of the Necromanteion in 1958, but this identification is now questioned.
Background
[edit]The word Necromanteion means "Oracle of the Dead", and the faithful came here to talk with their dead ancestors. Although other ancient temples such as the Temple of Poseidon in Taenaron as well as those in Argolis, Cumae, and Herakleia in Pontos are known to have housed oracles of the dead, the Necromanteion of Ephyra was the most important.[2] It belonged to the Thesprotians, the local Epirot Greek tribe. According to Herodotus' account, it was to the Necromanteion that Periander, the 6th century BC tyrant of Corinth, sent legates to ask questions of his dead wife, Melissa.[3] In Homer's Odyssey, the Necromanteion was also described as the entrance by which Odysseus made his katabasis.[4]
Ritual use
[edit]Ritual use of the Necromanteion involved elaborate ceremonies wherein celebrants seeking to speak to the dead would start by gathering in the ziggurat-like temple[5] and consuming a meal of broad beans, pork, barley bread, oysters, and a narcotic compound.[2][6] Following a cleansing ceremony and the sacrifice of sheep, the faithful would descend through a chthonic series of meandering corridors leaving offerings as they passed through a number of iron gates. The nekromanteia would pose a series of questions and chant prayers and the celebrants would then witness the priest arise from the floor and begin to fly through the temple through the use of theatrical cranes.[6]
Disputed archaeological site
[edit]An archaeological site discovered in 1958 and excavated during 1958–64 and 1976–77 was identified as the Necromanteion by archaeologist Sotirios Dakaris based on its geographical location and its similarities to descriptions found in Herodotus and Homer.[7] However, its topographical situation on a hill commanding the immediate neighbourhood does not fit this interpretation and the ruins dated to no earlier than the later 4th century BC.[8]
It is now also believed that the site was a fortified farmhouse of a sort common in the Hellenistic period.[9] Besides quantities of household ceramics, the site produced agricultural tools and weaponry, including Roman pila from the final destruction of the site by the Romans in 167 BC.[10] Most surprising of all were 21 washers (the distinctive bronze modioli) from at least seven different catapults, which Dakaris had mistakenly identified as components from a crane.[11]
Timeline
[edit]- 8th century BC – Necromanteion described by Homer.
- 5th century BC – Necromanteion described by Herodotus.
- Late 4th century BC – Site building erected.
- 167 BC – Site burned down by the Romans.
-
-
-
Pottery at the Necromanteion -
One of the tunnels on the site -
Halls leading to the central room -
Central room -
Tunnel
References
[edit]- ^ Olalla, Pedro. Mythological Atlas of Greece. Athens: Road Editions, 2002, p. 38. See also map 20 in this book.
- ^ a b Newsfinder (2002) "The Nekromanteio at Acheron" Archived 2015-06-07 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed: October 13, 2008.
- ^ Herodotus. Histories, 5.92.
- ^ Odyssey x 513ff
- ^ "Ephyra's Nekromanteion". Archived from the original on 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
- ^ a b Ancient Greek Inventions (Michael Lahanas) Archived 2009-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ S. Dakaris, The Antiquity of Epirus: The Acheron Necromanteion: Ephyra-Pandosia-Coassope (Athens, 1973); idem, in: The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites (1976), pp. 310f. s.v. Ephyra
- ^ D. Baatz, "Teile hellenistischer Geschütze aus Griechenland", Archäologischer Anzeiger 1979 (1979), pp. 68-75.
- ^ J. Wiseman, "Rethinking the 'Halls of Hades'", Archaeology 51.3 (1998), pp. 12-18; D. Baatz, "Wehrhaftes Wohnen. Ein befestigter hellenistischer Adelssitz bei Ephyra (Nordgriechenland)", Antike Welt 30.2 (1999), pp. 151-155.
- ^ Livy 45.34.
- ^ D. Baatz, "Hellenistische Katapulte aus Ephyra (Epirus)", Mitteilungen des deutschen archäologischen Instituts, Athenische Abteilung 97 (1982), pp. 211-233; D.B. Campbell, Greek and Roman Artillery, 399 BC-AD 363 (Oxford, 2003), pp. 13-14 and plate B (p. 26).
[1] Conference paper about the acoustic properties of the crypt of Acheron Necromantion 39°14′10″N 20°32′04″E / 39.2362°N 20.5345°E
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
