Many years ago we visited the site of the Nekromanteion and
it has always fascinated me. We had some a couple of days before we needed to
be in Igoumenitsa for the ferry, so we decided to visit the site and then go on
to a coastal campsite.
We picked a green (picturesque) route and arrived first in Glyki, where the
River Archeron rises in massive springs. On our visit all those years ago with
our young son, Simon, we walked to the springs through the river. The force of
water coming out of the rock was huge and it was difficult to stay standing in
the flow. Total immersion in the waters of the Acheron is supposed to give you
immortality – Simon and I didn’t manage it (the water was absolutely freezing)
but Jane did – it seems to be working for her so far! This time we just had
lunch looking over the green waters of the river before moving on to the
Nekromanteion.
The Nekromanteion, literally the Oracle of the Dead, dates back far into
antiquity. The area was occupied by early Greek tribes as early as 2,000 BC and
there is much evidence of Mycenaean settlement, including the city of Ephyra
just 500 metres north of the site. The site is close to what was thought to be some
of the rivers of the underworld – the Acheron (the river of woe) and the
Cocytus (the river of lamentation – modern Mavros River). The sacred site is a
cave, or more accurately a hole in the ground, that was thought to be the
palace of Hades and Persephone and an entrance to the underworld. People came
here to communicate with the souls of the dead who were also able to give
advice to the living. The first construction over the sacred crypt was built in
late 4th to early 3rd century BC with additions in the
late 3rd century BC to accommodate visitors and for storage.
Visitors came to communicate with departed souls and went through a procedure
of preparation for the experience. The preparation was a long, complex and, I
have no doubt expensive, experience. They were taken by the priest through an
initiation involving special diet featuring beans and lupins that would induce
hallucinations. Ancient writers who mention this site and other similar ones
mention that there are three stages of preparation. The number three appears
repeatedly during the initiation. Three preparation rooms in the first corridor
lead to a second corridor where the guest would be lead by the priest who would
be invoking the spirits and whispering to him. They then entered the third
corridor, a twisting, maze-like space where the participant would become
totally disorientated. Finally he was lead down into the sacred room where he
would make a sacrifice and communicate with the departed. After that
experience, he was lead out of the complex by a different route so that he
avoided contact with any other guests undergoing preparation. Participants were
sworn to secrecy about what happened during their visit – a clever way of
ensuring the mystery and attraction for other visitors.
The building itself is built of massively thick cyclopean walls – irregular shaped
stone blocks fitted together without mortar so closely that you couldn’t get a
piece of paper between them. Hidden corridors allowed the priest to move around
unseen and the thickness of the walls meant that participants would not be able
to hear what was going on in other parts of the complex. Parts of a mechanical
device found in the sacred room may have been parts of a device designed to
lower a sheet with an image of the dead person from the roof thus allowing the
deceased to ‘appear’ to the participant. When the Romans burnt down the site in
167 BC, the organic contents of the storeroom storage jars were carbonised,
allowing the archaeologist to analyse them and prove that they included the beans
and lupins thought to have been fed to the visitors. Absolutely fascinating!
We headed to a coastal campsite at Parga but were surprised to find that it was
full – a Dutch organised touring group had just booked in with 25 motorhomes!
We backtracked a few kilometres to another campsite ‘Enjoy Lichnos Camping’,
which was a hotel as well as a large, terraced campsite. It was obvious that
the hotel took priority and the campsite was rather tired and in need of some
attention. However, it was comfortable enough and we booked in for two nights.
Photos: The Acheron Riven at Glyki; Part of the maze showing a section of the
Cyclopean walls; The last of the three doors of the maze after which the
drugged and disorientated participant was lead down into the crypt; The
entrance into the underworld and the palace of Hades and Persephone where he
met the souls of the dead; Pots in the storeroom, blackened by the fire set by
the Romans; We have seen more tortoises on this trip than ever before; And past
many storks’ nests.
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