Ancient Gate to Hell Unearthed: Pluto's Underworld Discovered in Turkey

Travelling through the gate of hell may be a bit easier now. Archaeologists have recently unearthed Pluto's ancient gate to the Underworld from ruins in southwestern Turkey.

Long ago in the ancient Phyrgian city of Hierapolis, pilgrims journeyed to the Plutonium to pay their respects to the ancient deities of the Underworld, Pluto and Kore. The essential king and queen of Hell, mythology says that Pluto abducted Kore from the surface and brought her to live with him. Since Kore was the goddess of spring, the land began to wither and die without her. This prompted Pluto to return her for part of the year-a-nd gave a mythological explanation for the change of seasons.

The cave that supposedly led to hell was filled with hallucinogenic, noxious fumes, which priests often breathed in. Pilgrims threw small birds inside to test the deadly effects of the entrance while the priests of the gods sacrificed animals by leading them inside the cave before dragging out their corpses.

The cave wasn't just known for its deadly properties in ancient times, though. It was also known for its ability to give visions and prophecies to those who drank the waters in the pool near the temple.

Yet this gate and its pool were lost years ago. Around the 6th century AD, Christians obliterated the site as they toppled columns and destroyed artifacts. Earthquakes may have helped complete the destruction several years later.

Now, this historic, ancient entrance to the Underworld has been found again. Italian archaeologist Francesco D'Andria has been examining Hierapolis for years. He finally stumbled upon the portal by reconstructing the route of a thermal spring to the cave. In all, he was able to identify the ruins of a temple, pool and steps. Pilgrims would often flock to the location to watch ancient rites being performed at the portal's opening. Despite having been buried for so many years, the cave's effects were still apparent during the excavation.

"We could see the cave's lethal properties during excavation. Several birds died as they tried to get close to the warm opening, instantly killed by the carbon dioxide fumes," said D'Andria in an interview with USA Today.

Currently, the archaeologists are working on a digital reconstruction of the site which could allow them to better view and understand the layout of the location.