Nekromanteion Oracle

Greece / Preveza / Kanallakion /
 temple, ancient, archaeological site, stonemasonry, ancient ruins
The traditional gateway to Hades, on a hill above the river Acheron. In classical times the surrounding valley was flooded and this hill was an island surrounded by swamps. Homer mentions the site and has Odysseus pay a visit, the first to come here to contact the dead in Hades. Subsequently it became an oracular site where people would come from all over the world. The oracle priests would lead them through a series of grueling rituals, in which they ate special foods, consumed mind-altering drugs, and were kept in a maze-like building for several days before being lowered into a subterranean chamber where they would meet a representative of the underworld. In later times, the people who ran the oracle operation used elaborate theatrical mechanisms to make the "dead" appear. Remnants of these mechanisms were found by archaeologists, along with bags of a substance similar to hashish. Although the neighboring village has grown, the site is still very interesting and mysterious. (Original edit--grecodan)

photo:Nickolaos Kotsis


www.youtube.com/watch?v=betc2ZPMeQY
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromanteion
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   39°14'10"N   20°32'2"E

Comments

  • visit 2005, 2014
This article was last modified 7 months ago