The Gate to Hell at Hierapolis
Birds that flew too close dropped dead, and animals led inside collapsed, while the priests walked out unharmed.
What was reported
At the Roman city of Hierapolis, a small cave beneath a temple was believed to be an entrance to the underworld, the Plutonium. The geographer Strabo wrote that he threw sparrows into it and they died at once, and that bulls led inside collapsed. Only the eunuch priests of the goddess Cybele could enter and return alive.
The site was lost for centuries until Italian archaeologists rediscovered it in 2013, and birds were still found dead at its mouth.
Explanations offered
The cave sits over a crack in the earth that releases carbon dioxide from deep underground. The heavy gas pools near the ground, especially at night and in the early morning, so small animals and kneeling bulls suffocate while tall people may keep their heads above it. The priests may have known to hold their breath or stand tall.
- When
- In use from about 200 BC; rediscovered in 2013
- Where
- Hierapolis, near Pamukkale, Türkiye
- Witnesses
- Ancient visitors, including the geographer Strabo
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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