The house of Hades
The house of Hades is an underground hall placed below the central aisle of the sacred area (area 4) of the Nekromanteion. In ancient times, people believed it was the dwelling of Pluto and Persephone and was not allowed to pilgrims for whom the meeting with the dead ended at the upper floor.
It was excavated in the rock, probably inside the cave in which the original prehistoric cult was practised. The ceiling of the crypt and the floor of the sacred area above are supported by fifteen arches in local stone. They had to be carved with great care because all arches are of the same wideness and equally spaced out in order to emphasize the depth of the hall.

 
 

























The house of Hades (on a white background in the map) is an underground hall extending south to north, below the sacred area of the Nekromanteion. The section A-A' is a transverse section of the hall.


 
 















The  photo "a" shows the southern part of the house of Hades and the modern iron staircase which allows access to the upper floor. The dim light of the lamps enhances the succession of the arches carved into the rock.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The house of Hades
The planimetries in the left panel (l.p.) of the screen show, below, the trench B-B', longitudinal section of the house of Hades, north to south oriented; above, the trench A-A', cross section of the house of Hades.

Clicking on the "anchor icones" in the l.p. it is possible, by means of the photos "a" and "b", to explore the underground hall under the visual angles suggested by the icones themselves. Clicking inside the trench A-A' it is possible to get general information on the crypt.

Warning!! Working at full screen is recommended, as the left panel is blocked.
To continue the visit and pass to areas "5/6", you are requested to click on the link "Go on", on the top of the planimetry in the l.p. .

 
 






























The photo "b" shows the northern part of the house of Hades, and the arches departing from the middle of the wall. The succession of lights and shadows stresses the depth of the hall. The two dishes in the "West Slope" style were found on the floor of the sacred area and have been elsewhere described.