ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

How Roman priests walked through the “Gates to Hell” — and came back

Modern science explains how an ancient ritual worked.

Mihai AndreibyMihai Andrei
February 19, 2018
in Archaeology, Chemistry, News
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

Romans staged elaborate sacrificial rituals in which castrated priests walked through the “Gates to Hell,” carrying with them healthy bulls. The priests would return unscathed, while the sacrificial animals would succumb to the Gods. Now, a new study has found the secret to this ancient ritual.

Roman ruins at Hierapolis. Image credits: Kisch / Wikipedia.

The Gate to Hell

In 2013, archaeologists made an intriguing discovery in the Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis, now in modern-day Turkey. Known as Pluto’s Gate, or Ploutonion in Greek, the cavern was a gate to the underworld.

Archaeologists dug up its temple, pool, and steps leading down to the ceremonial cave, all matching ancient historical depictions of the place.

Back in the Ancient times, the Greek geographer, philosopher, and avid traveler Strabo, (64/63 BC to 24 AD) described it thusly:

“This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. Any animal that passes inside meets instant death. I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell.”

Strabo also described how sacrificial rituals were carried at the site. Castrated priests would be left unharmed, while animals were killed without any human intervention. There’s no reason to doubt his and others’ recollection of the events. But what was really happening there?

Ruins of the temple around the grotto. Image credits: Ömerulusoy / Wikipedia.

Geology and magic

Hierapolis itself lies in a geologically active area. Its geothermal waters were a major attraction, with many people believing they have magical healing powers. But beneath the city, a massive fissure (the Babadag fracture zone) leaks volcanic carbon dioxide, which is barely visible as a mist. The same phenomenon is happening today.

Volcano biologist Hardy Pfanz at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany wanted to measure these emissions, so he took a portable gas analyzer system to map the CO2 concentration at the ancient temple. In the study, he writes:

RelatedPosts

There hasn’t been this much CO2 in the air in 3 million years. We have to stop, UN warns
A half-pound of this yellow powder can capture as much CO2 as a tree in a year. Is this the secret weapon against climate change we’ve all been waiting for?
Archaeologists discover the 4,400-year-old tomb of a high ranking Egyptian priestess
Drones Helps Researchers Uncover a Lost Mega-Fortress in Georgia

“The concentrations of CO2 escaping from the mouth of the grotto to the outside atmosphere are still in the range of 4–53% CO2 depending on the height above ground level. They reach concentrations during the night that would easily kill even a human being within a minute.”

He goes on to say that this could easily be understood as the door to the underworld.

“These emissions are thought to reflect the Hadean breath and/or the breath of the hellhound Kerberos guarding the entrance to hell.”

The CO2 concentration 40 centimeters above the arena floor reaches 35% — more than enough to asphyxiate animals or even humans. However, the concentration falls rapidly with height. This means that the priests were simply tall enough, their noses being above the CO2 blanket, where the air was safe to breathe.

But they also had a few other tricks up their sleeves. While Strabo believed their ability to survive the grotto was owed to their castration, Pfanz believes the priests were aware of the nature of the environment.

Strabo also wrote that priests only went in a bit far in the cave, and sometimes held their breath. As the animals got dizzier and dizzier, they would let their heads more and more down — but priests would pay attention and keep their heads up. Pfanz also learned that the carbon dioxide concentration varies with the time of day. So sacrifices would be carried out during the morning or evening hours when the concentration of the gas was highest. But outside of the sacrifices, the priests would stay well away from the cave, only coming close during noon, when levels were at their lowest. Even today, emissions are still dangerous, as archaeologists reported that several birds and other small animals were unfortunate enough to venture over the emissions zone, and fell to its effects.

It’s wonderfully exciting that researchers were able to bring together so many different aspects of science. Linking modern chemistry to ancient rituals and archaeology is exciting and opens up a unique window to the past. Just imagine, the priests had at least some idea of what was going around, but for the average viewer, you would be witnessing the Gods in action, taking the soul of the unfortunate sacrifice. It must have been a hell of a show.

Journal Reference: Hardy Pfanz, Galip Yüce, Ahmet H. Gulbay, Ali Gokgoz. Deadly CO2 gases in the Plutonium of Hierapolis (Denizli, Turkey).

Tags: archaeologycarbon dioxideco2

Share29TweetShare
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Dr. Andrei Mihai is a geophysicist and founder of ZME Science. He has a Ph.D. in geophysics and archaeology and has completed courses from prestigious universities (with programs ranging from climate and astronomy to chemistry and geology). He is passionate about making research more accessible to everyone and communicating news and features to a broad audience.

Related Posts

Anthropology

Obsidian Artifacts Reveal a Hidden, Thriving Economy in the Aztec Empire

byMihai Andrei
9 hours ago
Anthropology

Neanderthals Crafted Bone Spears 30,000 Years Before Modern Humans Came In

byTudor Tarita
5 days ago
Anthropology

16,000-Year-Old Dog-Like Skeleton Found in France Raises Haunting Questions

byTudor Tarita
3 weeks ago
Archaeology

Cats Came Bearing Gods: Religion and Trade Shaped the Rise of the Domestic Cat in Europe

byMihai Andrei
3 weeks ago

Recent news

AI and Brain Scans Reveal Why You Struggle to Recognize Faces of People of Other Races

May 13, 2025

Mysterious Stone Circles on Remote Scottish Island May Have Been Home to Humans Before Stonehenge Existed

May 12, 2025

People Spend $12,000 to Tattoo Their Eyes and Change Their Color but the Risks Are Still Unknown

May 12, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.