Interesting documentary

[Michael]

Hey Spiros, ever been to hell? I heard this on the radio last night. I wish his site showed pictures inside the underground.

http://www.robert-temple.com/

[ken_behrendt]

Here's a description from the website of this man-made attempt by the Greeks to replicate their mythological version of hell...also known as Hades:

I start by a visit to hell. The ancient Greek 'hell', known as Hades, actually existed as a huge artificial replica deep underground near the earliest Greek colony in western Italy, at Baia. It even had an artificial River Styx hundreds of feet underground across which people were rowed in a small boat, to consult the spirits of the dead. In May 2001 I became the first person living to re-enter this eerie ancient underground site, known as the Oracle of the Dead. Netherworld reproduces many colour photos of this amazing and intact site deep below the surface of the earth. The subterranean corridors run for more than a fifth of a mile, cut out of the solid rock. It is estimated that the Romans devoted 30,000 man-hours carrying soil into the site in an attempt to block up this terrifying Oracle, already hundreds of years old in their time, but now at last it has been possible to explore and report this underground complex which was sealed 2000 years ago. The account of the Oracle of the Dead is an archaeological revelation.

Sounds to me like just another attempt by an ancient priesthood to cash in on people's irrational fears of death and worries about the future.

One must be very wary of people in strange costumes that claim to be in contact with gods, spirits, and the departed, especially if they offer to communicate with them on a person's behalf...for a price, of course!



ken

[SeaWasp]

Michael.. No I haven't! But very interesting!

I haven't heard about the replica entrance to Hades being discovered before! It would make a very interesting documentary!

I hope that the Discovery channel gets to do a show on it!

From Roberts article in the Sunday Times,

Last year I was able to examine the Oracle of the Dead in Baia, an early Greek colony on the western coast of Italy. The Oracle of the Dead was a replica of the legendary Hades of the Greeks, complete with an artificial underground River Styx 150ft long.

This was the place where Odysseus in the Odyssey and Aeneas in the Aeneid "descended into hell" to consult the spirits of the dead. The Romans sealed the site 2,000 years ago and it was forgotten. Scholars had always assumed the visits to Hades were a myth, but like the "legendary" site of Troy discovered in the 19th century, it has turned out to be a real place.

So many of the so-called fantasies of the ancients have turned out to be based on fact that perhaps we should re-examine our attitudes. Understanding our ancestors with more objectivity can help us better understand ourselves.

[jim_mich]

Every morning for 21 years I took the road to Hell. Everymorning I made a left turn at this sign. Every morning I made a right turn away just this side of Hell. I've been through Hell many times.

From RoadsideAmerica link.
Wikipedia article.