18 July 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.

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

The history of Kültepe Mound in central Turkey goes back another 300 years

12 December 2021

12 December 2021

In Kültepe, where the first written documents of Anatolia were unearthed, the date based on 5 thousand years was updated...

A Roman sarcophagus containing two skeletons was found in Bath, England

29 June 2021

29 June 2021

Stone walls, a Roman sarcophagus, and a cremation burial have been unearthed in a renovation project at the Bathwick Roman...

The ‘boiler room’ of the bath in the Ancient City of Metropolis was unearthed

11 August 2022

11 August 2022

The vault section, called the ‘boiler room’, which provides a heat source, has been unearthed in the historical bath of...

Naked Venus statue discovered in a Roman garbage dump in France

29 March 2023

29 March 2023

Archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventative Archaeological Research (Inrap) has been uncovered a trove of artifacts, including two...

Evidence of Necromancy during Roman era in the Te’omim Cave, Jerusalem Hills: Oil Lamps, Spearheads, and Skulls

14 July 2023

14 July 2023

Te’omim Cave in the Jerusalem Hills may once have served as a local oracle where people communed with the dead...

3600-year-old lead weights were unearthed in the Kumluca Bronze Age Shipwreck, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world

27 November 2022

27 November 2022

Underwater archaeological work continues in the Bronze Age shipwreck off Antalya Kumluca, one of the oldest shipwrecks in the world....

To The West of Turkey Ancient Quarry Found

28 March 2021

28 March 2021

Turkey is very lucky in terms of ancient settlements. It is home to many unexplored artifacts, along with well-preserved ancient...

Two Archaic Sculptures was Unearthed in Milas Euromos 2021 Excavations

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

Milas Euromos 2021 archaeological excavations continue. During the excavations of Milas Euromos 2021, archaeologists unearthed two archaic period statues (kuros)...

A Pagan cemetery belongs to the Late Roman Empire period in Istanbul

12 June 2022

12 June 2022

During the restoration of the ancient Sheikh Suleiman Mosque, which was restored as part of the Med-Art Education Project by...

Turkey discovers 11 new major hills near famed Gobeklitepe “Potbelly Hill”

28 June 2021

28 June 2021

Turkey reported on Sunday the discovery of 11 new hills in the vicinity of the renowned ancient site of Gobeklitepe...

New Discoveries Made in World’s Oldest Ancient Shipyard

11 June 2024

11 June 2024

Associate Professor Hakan Öniz, who discovered the world’s largest and oldest shipyard dating back to the Bronze Age in 2015...

Unique Rock Tomb Discovered in Southeastern Türkiye’s Şanlıurfa

3 March 2025

3 March 2025

Hasan Şıldak, the governor of the city of Şanlıurfa in south-eastern Türkiye, announced on his social media account that a...

A Newly Found 12,000-year-old Burial in Türkiye May Belong to a Female ‘Shaman’

28 July 2024

28 July 2024

A recently published study suggests that a woman buried in the upper reaches of the Tigris River in south-eastern Türkiye...

‘Miniature Pompeii’ found beneath Astra cinema in Verona

15 June 2021

15 June 2021

Archaeologists have uncovered a “miniature Pompeii” in the shape of a well-preserved ancient edifice near Verona, Italy. An old Roman...

The Historian Says That the Saint Petrus Cave Church in Antakya is Not the First

24 February 2021

24 February 2021

According to a news from Trt World, A historian who was in the news recently for claiming a church in...