Necromanteion
Encyclopedia
The Necromanteion or Nekromanteion 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."
of Death
", and the faithful came here to talk with their late 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. It belonged to the Thesprotians
, the local Epirot
Greek tribe.
According to Herodotus' account, it was to the Nekromanteion that Periander
, the 6th century BC tyrant of Corinth
, had sent legates
to ask questions of his dead wife, Melissa. In Homer's Odyssey
, the Nekromanteion was also described as the entrance by which Odysseus
made his nekyia
.
-like temple and consuming a meal of broad beans, pork, barley bread, oysters, and a narcotic
compound. Following a cleansing ceremony and the sacrifice of sheep, the faithful would descend through a chthonic
series of meandric corridors leaving offerings as they passed through a number of iron gates. The nekyomanteia 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 about the temple through the use of Aeorema-like theatrical cranes
.
The Necromanteion was functioning for two centuries, until 167 BC when it was looted and destroyed by the Romans. It was brought up on surface by Professor Dakaris during 1958-1964 and 1976–1977 and it was confirmed that it was placed under St. John's Monastery (Μονη Αγιου Ιωαννη), which was built in the 18th century.
The pilgrims were going to the necromancy to communicate with the underworld souls but the ritual was not that simple as, they as living beings, had to be submitted to a diet including raw food like oysters, causing the effect of illusions and trances which was resulting in speaking with the souls and getting the prophecy desired.
The architectural structure of the Necromanteion was helping the psychosomatic process. The building had two levels, the upper one for the world of the living and the lower one for the world of the dead, where the dark Temple of Hades (Αδης) was built, the room where the pilgrims could "meet" the souls of the dead. The corridor that lead there was whirling because the purpose was to make the vertigo more intense for the believer, with the result of him believing that he was walking the "road" to Hades. Then he had to cross the three Iron Gates to enter the Kingdom of the dead.
In Mesopotamo. 52 km south of Igoumenitsa
, 20 km south of Parga
.
) and literature (Homer
). However, its topographical situation on a hill commanding the immediate neighbourhood did not fit this interpretation and the ruins dated to no earlier than the later 4th century BC.
It is now accepted that the site was a fortified farmhouse of a sort common in the Hellenistic period
.
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. 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.
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
devoted to Hades and Persephone
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
. According to tradition, it was located on the banks of the Acheron
Acheron
The Acheron is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It flows into the Ionian Sea in Ammoudia, near Parga.-In mythology:...
river in Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
, near the ancient city of Ephyra
Kichyro
Kichyros , later called Ephyra , was the capital of ancient Thesprotia, according to the myth built by the Pelasgian leader Thesprotos. Thucydides describes it as situated in the district Elaeatis in Thesprotia, away from the sea. At its site is the famous Necromanteion...
. This site was believed by devotees to be the door to Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
, the realm of the dead. The site is at the meeting point of the Acheron, Pyriphlegethon
Phlegethon
In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon or Pyriphlegethon was one of the five rivers in the infernal regions of the underworld, along with the rivers Styx, Lethe, Cocytus, and Acheron...
and Cocytus
Cocytus
Cocytus or Kokytos, meaning "the river of wailing" , is a river in the underworld in Greek mythology. Cocytus flows into the river Acheron, across which dwells the underworld, the mythological abode of the dead. There are five rivers encircling Hades...
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."
Background
The word Nekromanteion means "OracleOracle
In Classical Antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination....
of Death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
", and the faithful came here to talk with their late ancestors. Although other ancient temples
Greek temple
Greek temples were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in Greek paganism. The temples themselves did usually not directly serve a cult purpose, since the sacrifices and rituals dedicated to the respective deity took place outside them...
such as the Temple of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
in Taenaron
Cape Matapan
Cape Tainaron , also known as Cape Matapan , is situated at the end of the Mani, Laconia, Greece. Cape Matapan is the southernmost point of mainland Greece. It separates the Messenian Gulf in the west from the Laconian Gulf in the east.-History:...
as well as those in Argolis
Argolis
Argolis is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula.-Geography:...
, Cumae
Cumae
Cumae is an ancient Greek settlement lying to the northwest of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. Cumae was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy , and the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl...
, and Herakleia in Pontos
Heraclea Pontica
Heraclea Pontica , an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor, at the mouth of the river Lycus. It was founded by the Greek city-state of Megara c.560-558 and was named after Heracles who the Greeks believed entered the underworld at a cave on the adjoining Archerusian promontory .The...
are known to have housed oracles of the dead, the Necromanteion of Ephyra was the most important. It belonged to the Thesprotians
Thesprotians
The Thesprotians were an ancient Greek tribe of Thesprotis, Epirus, akin to the Molossians. The poet Homer frequently mentions Thesprotia which had friendly relations with Ithaca and Doulichi. On their northeast frontier they had the Chaonians and to the north the kingdom of the Molossians...
, the local Epirot
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
Greek tribe.
According to Herodotus' account, it was to the Nekromanteion that Periander
Periander
Periander was the second tyrant of Corinth, Greece in the 7th century BC. He was the son of the first tyrant, Cypselus. Periander succeeded his father in 627 BC. He died in 585 BC....
, the 6th century BC tyrant of Corinth
Corinth
Corinth is a city and former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Corinth, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
, had sent legates
Legation
A legation was the term used in diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an embassy. Where an embassy was headed by an Ambassador, a legation was headed by a Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary....
to ask questions of his dead wife, Melissa. In Homer's Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
, the Nekromanteion was also described as the entrance by which Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
made his nekyia
Nekyia
In ancient Greek cult-practice and literature, a nekyia is a "rite by which ghosts were called up and questioned about the future," i.e., necromancy. A nekyia is not necessarily the same thing as a katabasis...
.
Ritual use
Ritual use of the Nekromanteion involved elaborate ceremonies wherein celebrants seeking to speak to the dead would start by gathering in the zigguratZiggurat
Ziggurats were massive structures built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and western Iranian plateau, having the form of a terraced step pyramid of successively receding stories or levels.Notable ziggurats include the Great Ziggurat of Ur near Nasiriyah, Iraq; the Ziggurat of Aqar Quf near...
-like temple and consuming a meal of broad beans, pork, barley bread, oysters, and a narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
compound. Following a cleansing ceremony and the sacrifice of sheep, the faithful would descend through a chthonic
Chthonic
Chthonic designates, or pertains to, deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in relation to Greek religion. The Greek word khthon is one of several for "earth"; it typically refers to the interior of the soil, rather than the living surface of the land or the land as territory...
series of meandric corridors leaving offerings as they passed through a number of iron gates. The nekyomanteia 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 about the temple through the use of Aeorema-like theatrical cranes
Mechane
A mechane or machine was a crane used in Greek theatre, especially in the fifth and fourth centuries BC.Made of wooden beams and pulley systems, the device was used to lift an actor into the air, usually representing flight. This stage machine was particularly used to bring gods onto the stage...
.
The Necromanteion of Acheron
In the Ancient fountain of the Lake Acherousia (Αχερουσια Λιμνη) where the river Acheron (Αχερων) was meeting the river Kykotos (Κυκωτος) was the point of the dead taking the route to the Underworld (Κατω Κοσμος). Near to that point was the most known Necromanteion (Νεκρομαντειο) of the Ancient world which is still saved as a monument. It has been chronologized at the early Hellenistic era (4th-3rd century BC).The Necromanteion was functioning for two centuries, until 167 BC when it was looted and destroyed by the Romans. It was brought up on surface by Professor Dakaris during 1958-1964 and 1976–1977 and it was confirmed that it was placed under St. John's Monastery (Μονη Αγιου Ιωαννη), which was built in the 18th century.
The pilgrims were going to the necromancy to communicate with the underworld souls but the ritual was not that simple as, they as living beings, had to be submitted to a diet including raw food like oysters, causing the effect of illusions and trances which was resulting in speaking with the souls and getting the prophecy desired.
The architectural structure of the Necromanteion was helping the psychosomatic process. The building had two levels, the upper one for the world of the living and the lower one for the world of the dead, where the dark Temple of Hades (Αδης) was built, the room where the pilgrims could "meet" the souls of the dead. The corridor that lead there was whirling because the purpose was to make the vertigo more intense for the believer, with the result of him believing that he was walking the "road" to Hades. Then he had to cross the three Iron Gates to enter the Kingdom of the dead.
Location
Prefecture of Preveza - Municipality of FanariIn Mesopotamo. 52 km south of Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa
Igoumenitsa , is a coastal city in northwestern Greece. It is the capital of the regional unit Thesprotia. Its original ancient name used to be Titani....
, 20 km south of Parga
Parga
Parga, , is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the regional unit of Preveza in Epirus, northwestern Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Kanallaki. Parga lies on the Ionian coast between the cities of Preveza and Igoumenitsa...
.
Archaeological site
A likely site discovered in 1958 by archaeologist Sotirios Dakaris and excavated during 1958-64 and 1976-77 was identified as the Nekromanteion due to its geographical location and its similarities to descriptions found in history (HerodotusHerodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
) and literature (Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
). However, its topographical situation on a hill commanding the immediate neighbourhood did not fit this interpretation and the ruins dated to no earlier than the later 4th century BC.
It is now accepted that the site was a fortified farmhouse of a sort common in the Hellenistic period
Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic era describes the time which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was so named by the historian J. G. Droysen. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia...
.
Besides quantities of household ceramics, the site produced agricultural tools and weaponry, including Roman pila
Pilum
The pilum was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about two metres long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 mm in diameter and 60 cm long with pyramidal head...
from the final destruction of the site by the Romans in 167 BC. 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.
History
- 8th century BC - Described by HomerHomerIn the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
. - 5th century BC - Described by HerodotusHerodotusHerodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
. - Late 4th century BC - Building erected.
- 167 BC - Burned down by the RomansAncient RomeAncient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. - 18th Century - Monastery of St. John the Baptist built on top.
- 1958-1964 - Excavated by the archaeologist Sotirios Dakaris.
- 1976-1977 - More excavations by Sotirios Dakaris.