It's the common movie cliche - archaeologists go poking around sites not meant for the world of man and inevitably unearth some sort of horror upon themselves. Team members die. Maybe there's a risque sex scene somewhere down the line; depends on how bad the studio wants that R rating.
But that's only pretend, right? Just for the moving pictures and the occasional novel or video game adaptation, right?
Well...
Discovery News
Alright, so there wasn't a creepy monster or space alien, but "lethal vapors" is close enough in my book. And if we count sparrows as part of the team, it meets all the requirements.
Sadly, I can't find any confirmation that about the whole risque sex scene business. Consider that a bust.
Of course, this isn't a literal, physical gate to the underworld - as far as we know, no such thing exists (Hades gonna hate). Still, it's absolutely a great cultural find, and hopefully it'll give us a better understanding of Ancient Greek society. Plus, "Archaeologists Discover 'Gate to Hell'" makes for a great headline.
Still no word on that Stairway to Heaven, though. I'll get back to you on that one.
But that's only pretend, right? Just for the moving pictures and the occasional novel or video game adaptation, right?
Well...
A “gate to hell” has emerged from ruins in southwestern Turkey, Italian archaeologists have announced.
Known as Pluto's Gate -- Ploutonion in Greek, Plutonium in Latin -- the cave was celebrated as the portal to the underworld in Greco-Roman mythology and tradition.
Historic sources located the site in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis, now called Pamukkale, and described the opening as filled with lethal mephitic vapors.
“This space is full of a vapor so misty and dense that one can scarcely see the ground. Any animal that passes inside meets instant death,” the Greek geographer Strabo (64/63 BC -- about 24 AD) wrote.
“I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell,” he added.
Alright, so there wasn't a creepy monster or space alien, but "lethal vapors" is close enough in my book. And if we count sparrows as part of the team, it meets all the requirements.
Sadly, I can't find any confirmation that about the whole risque sex scene business. Consider that a bust.
Of course, this isn't a literal, physical gate to the underworld - as far as we know, no such thing exists (Hades gonna hate). Still, it's absolutely a great cultural find, and hopefully it'll give us a better understanding of Ancient Greek society. Plus, "Archaeologists Discover 'Gate to Hell'" makes for a great headline.
Still no word on that Stairway to Heaven, though. I'll get back to you on that one.