Nekromanteio
Nekromanteio or Nekyomanteio is a little known archaeological
site in Greece and it is located in the province of Epirus. I visited Nekromanteio
when I was a child and the location and mythology of the place stuck with
me for life. I always wanted to return, and I finally made the journey
in the summer of 2000 with my sister Vivi.
Nekromanteio at the river Acheron is another oracle like the well known
oracles of Delphi and Dodona and it has
its own unique character and story to tell. It was built at the gates
of Hades thus providing easy access to anyone who dared to venture at
the edge that keeps the living and the departed apart. Nekromanteio is
the Oracle of the Dead and in ancient times it acted as the point of departure
for those who wished to communicate with a dead ancestor or family member--usually
for consultation and advice on living matters.
 Pilgrims
arrived in ancient times from all corners of the earth seeking advice
and answers from the dead. They resided on the grounds of the Nekromanteio
for an extended period of time and were fostered by sorcerers that prepared
them for the awe inspiring experience of glimpsing at the afterlife. The
ruins on the ground outline an elaborate complex that included the living
quarters of the priests and the guests, storage facilities, rooms for
ritual activities, and the main sanctuary where the meeting of the living
with the dead took place.
 Those
who made a commitment to undergo a meeting with the spirits of the non
living were putting themselves in great danger and thus they had to undergo
elaborate rituals in order to be prepared physically and spiritually for
such encounters. For the duration of their visit their diet and actions
were strictly controlled by the priests in a way that their perception
of reality slowly was altered with each passing day. The pilgrims diet
consisted of foods which along with isolation and meditation induced a
state of hallucination for the person who was about to encounter the dead.
Once the purification of the soul and body was complete, the pilgrim in
a state of altered reality offered sacrifice to the gods, and walked down
a long corridor and through the three
doors of the dark labyrinth that
leads to the central room where the spirits of the dead spoke to the living.
 Modern
scholars that have examined the arecaeological evidence and accounts of
ancient writers have suggested that the whole operation was something
of a scam. The priests would spend enough time with the pilgrims to learn
about their lives and secrets, and the encounter with the dead souls was
nothing else than an encounter with the image of the dead (probably a
priest) that was suspended from the ceiling with the aid of an elaborate
machine. Many parts of the existence of such machine have been found on
the site. The visitor of course in his/her religious ecstasy had all the
incentive to believe the illusion and to leave the Necromanteio convinced
that an encounter with the dead had taken place.
 Necromanteio
is a small archaeological site, easily navigated in one or two
hours. I wandered through the rooms and storage areas before entering
the long corridor where in ancient times so many must have walked trembling
in anticipation of an encounter with the dead. Of the three arched gates
in the labyrinth two
survive in good condition and the labyrinth with its massive walls is
still an imposing structure. Imagining the path of the ancients, I walked
through the third door into the main hall where the hallucinating pilgrims
believed in the encounter with the underworld inhabitants.
 Through
a small hole on the floor of the main hall I descended a steep metal staircase
down into the dark crypt that was the palace of Persephony and Hades.
The passage even today appears ominous--like the descend to the underworld
should feel-- and the room is stunning in the contradiction of its irregular
rocky floor and the perfectly masoned stone arches that soar overhead.
The crypt was probably carved out of the live rock in the same place where
an ancient cave may have started the cult.
 Above
this, the passage to the underworld of a pagan cult, in later times a
Christian church was built that crowns the ancient stones. It stands as
a silent witness to the long history of the land that manifests itself
on strata of symbolic monuments to conflicting ideologies.
Nekromanteio is not as well known as the other oracles of Greece, but
well worth a visit for its charm and the fascinating cult that made it
all possible. I enjoyed my walk through the ruins as I tried to imagine
the gamut of feelings that an ancient believer must have experienced on
his/her way to meet the dead with shaking knees and a spinning head.
I didn't fear, nor believed, but driving away I smiled and secretly adored
the fact that I had just descended and escaped from the dwelling of Hades
himself; a feat reserved for the bravest of men: Orpheus who went for
love, Hercules who went for the three-headed dog, and Odysseus who went
for the future to be told.
   
The third gate of the labyrinth, which leads to
the palace of Hades and Persephone
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Other Spellings: Nekyomanteio, Nekromanteion,
Nekyomanteion, Necromanteio, Necyomanteio, Necromanteio, Nekromantio,
Necromantio.
Related Terms: Efyra, Ephyra, Efira, Ephira,
Acheron, Acheruvian Lake
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