21 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Pluto’s ‘Gate to Hell’ in Hierapolis

Hierapolis Pluto or Pluto’s Gate is a ploutonion (a religious site dedicated to the god Pluto) in the ancient city of Hierapolis near Pamukkale in today’s Denizli Province in Turkey.

The foundations of Hierapolis were laid during the Phrygian Era due to the sacred site of Cybele, which included the cave beneath the Temple of Apollo. However, the ancient city of Hierapolis was founded in the second century BC by Eumenes II, King of Pergamum, and its name was derived from Hiera, the beautiful wife of Telephos, the legendary founder of Pergamum.

In 129 BC, the city was annexed to the Roman Empire’s Asian province and administered by proconsuls. In the third century BC, it was joined to Pisidia Pacatiana. Hierapolis was important in the spread of Christianity in Asia Minor, and it was the final resting place of Phillip, one of Jesus Christ’s twelve Apostles. For this reason, Hierapolis became an important religious center in the fourth century AD. Later, it assumed the title as the Guide of the East and saw its most brilliant years between 96 and 162 AD. In AD 395, Hierapolis came under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire.

During the early Imperial period, between 100 BC and AD 100, the Hierapolis Ploutonion was built in honor of Hades-Pluto and his wife Kore-Persephone.

A digital illustration shows the ancient Plutonium, celebrated as the portal to the underworld in Greco-Roman mythology.Francesco D'Andria
A digital illustration shows the ancient Plutonium, celebrated as the portal to the underworld in Greco-Roman mythology. Francesco D’Andria

The sanctuary was built over a natural cave that released hot waters and toxic volcanic carbon dioxide (CO2), which emitted as a suffocating invisible mist believed to have been sent by Pluto, the god of the underworld.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



The cave was used for rituals by Galli, the eunuch priests of the goddess Cybele, who descended through the “gate to hell” into the chamber to demonstrate their divine protection and sacrifice.

The gateway was built into the wall of an open-air arena, which was surrounded by raised spectator seating known as a theatron. The gas released from the cave settled on the arena floor and grew in concentration throughout the night, eventually forming an asphyxiating CO2 “lake.” Scholars believe that the arena was used for animal sacrifices, which were carried out at dawn before the sun’s heat dissipated the CO2 concentration.

The ploutonion was abandoned in the 6th century after the gateway was closed off by Christians as part of the purge of pagan ritualism until its rediscovery by archaeologists in 1965.

Related Articles

Two rock chambers thought to be dining rooms unearthed at ‘House of Muses’ in southeastern Turkey

27 July 2021

27 July 2021

House of Muses, a Roman-era house named after the muse mosaics found in the area located in the ancient city...

3500-year-old ceramic oven discovered in Turkey’s Tepecik Mound

24 August 2021

24 August 2021

A 3,500-year-old ceramic oven was unearthed in Tepecik Mound in the Çine district of Aydın, in western Turkey. Tepecik Höyük,...

1,800 Years Old Woman Sculpture in the Ancient City of Metropolis

16 June 2021

16 June 2021

On 12 June, Turkish officials announced the discovery of an 1800-year-old statue of a woman in Izmir. An 1800-year-old statue...

Middle Ages living space uncovered at an altitude of 1,800 meters in eastern Turkey

20 December 2021

20 December 2021

A living space carved into a bedrock considered to belong to the Middle Ages was found at a point overlooking...

New mosaics unearthed in “Zeugma of the Black Sea”

3 October 2022

3 October 2022

New mosaics with various figures were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis, which is called...

After 150 years, Schliemann’s destruction in Troy was repaired

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

Heinrich Schliemann, a German businessman, excavated the ancient city of Troy in northwest Canakkale province 150 years ago. Archaeologists are...

Ceremonial meals may have been served in the 4500-year-old structure unearthed in the Yumuktepe Höyük in Southern Turkey

3 November 2021

3 November 2021

A 4,500-year-old structure containing a jar, many pots, and food fossils has been unearthed at the Yumuktepe Höyük (mound) in...

Unprecedented 1800-year-old marble bathtub recovered in Turkey

23 April 2022

23 April 2022

The 1800-year-old marble bathtub, which was seized when it was about to be sold by historical artifact smugglers in Aydın’s...

Analysis Of Roman Coins sheds light on the Roman financial crisis

17 April 2022

17 April 2022

New scientific analysis of the composition of Roman denarii has brought fresh understanding to a financial crisis briefly mentioned by...

A previously unknown subterranean tract of an Augustan-era aqueduct has been rediscovered in Naples

4 February 2023

4 February 2023

A previously unknown subterranean tract nearly half a mile long of an Augustan-era aqueduct has been rediscovered in Naples, southern...

In southern Turkey, the remains of a Roman villa whose floor was decorated with geometrically patterned mosaics were unearthed during construction

13 July 2022

13 July 2022

Workers working to lay the foundation of a new building in the Defne district of Hatay, southern Turkey, by accident...

In Parion, one of the most important cities of the Troas region, 2,000-year-old mother-child graves were unearthed

1 November 2022

1 November 2022

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Parion, the most important harbor city in the Hellenistic era, have uncovered  2,000-year-old...

1800-year-old marble inscription found in Turkey’s Aigai excavations deciphered

2 October 2022

2 October 2022

The 1800-year-old inscription, consisting of 3 pieces of marble, found in the excavations in the ancient city of Aigai in...

It is Thought That an Ancient Port will be Reached in Istanbul Metro Excavations

11 April 2021

11 April 2021

New findings were found in the Kabataş excavations, which started a year ago under the presidency of the Istanbul Archeology...

Archeologists Unearth Spectator snacks from the Roman Period in Colosseum

28 November 2022

28 November 2022

An excavation of the Colosseum’s sewer systems has uncovered a selection of spectator snacks from the Roman Period. It appears...