'Gate to Hell' guardians recovered in Turkey

Signs of the Times ^ | 11/18/2013 | Rossella Lorenzi

[Carbonsteel]

Archaeologists digging in Turkey have found the guardians of the "Gate to Hell" -- two unique marble statues which once warned of a deadly cave in the ancient Phrygian city of Hierapolis, near Pamukkale.

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. It was discovered in March by a team led by Francesco D'Andria, professor of classic archaeology at the University of Salento.

[ClearCase_guy]

They will go well with the new hand-basket I find myself in.

[Telepathic Intruder]

Perhaps Obama and Pelosi could do some additional field research.

[DManA]

They know it was Pluto because he was a dog and he was wearing pants.

[Ezekiel]

"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 B.C. to about 24 A.D.) wrote about the site.

"I threw in sparrows and they immediately breathed their last and fell," he added.

I'll take "Early White Hut Tours" for $1000, Alex.

[Hardraade]

They didn’t do a very good job.

Obama still got out.

[GeronL]

Phrygian sounds cold

[HiTech RedNeck]

I’d guess it wasn’t the Turkish gate.

I know this is gallows humor. But hell will be a laughing stock to heaven. Ps 2:4.

[captmar-vell]

This came to mind when I first heard of this last March, shortly after the Russian meteorite in February:

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.

And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” Revelation 9: 1-2

[HiTech RedNeck]

The doglike Goofy character wore pants and that might be what you’re thinking about. Pluto, as far as can be seen in the cartoons I can bring up in a quick internet search, was just a dog and had no clothes.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well, jump OUT of it!

[Jet Jaguar]

[HiTech RedNeck]

This sounds like natural methane emissions concentrated to the point of asphyxiation. Birds would be quite sensitive to that in particular.

Nobody thought of tossing a burning object inside? (Hold my ancient ale and watch this!)

[DannyTN]

Not good.
First they find the gates.
Then they dig out the cave.
Then all Hell breaks loose.

[MUDDOG]

Turkey has been good at excavating and preserving its archaeological treasures. Some of that is probably due to Ataturk’s secularization efforts.

[PubliusMM]

Spent some time in that region, back in the day. Explored around Hierapolis for a couple of days. Spent the evenings in a mountain-side resort hotel (per the Turkish guide) in Pamukkale. Quite nice, at the time. Very quiet, nice mineral hot spring pool, cold Efes.

Brings back a nice memory. Of course, nothing about the gates of Hell.

[Wanderer99]

Wasn’t this featured in the movie “exorcist”?

[a fool in paradise]

"That's the first cab driver who went right where I told him to go!" < /Hellzapoppin >

[Fire_on_High]

Some brilliant sorts decided to try that and burn off gas around a mining pit a while back...this was the result

[Ciexyz]

Good for their tourist industry.