Archaeologists Have Discovered An Ancient 'Portal To The Underworld' Used To Summon The Dead

Imagine stumbling upon a spooky cave—would you be brave enough to explore it?

That’s precisely what a group of archaeologists in Israel did last year when they uncovered an ancient cavern.

They believe it might have been used for eerie spiritual practices.

Located southwest of Jerusalem, the Te'omim cave became the center of an archaeological investigation.

Archaeologists at the site. B. Zissu under the Te’omim Cave Archaeological Project Harvard Theological Review, 2023

This exploration has sparked some intriguing and somewhat unnerving theories about the cave's historical uses.

The area is a treasure trove of historical significance, with layers of history from the Ottoman Empire, the Abbasid and Umayyad Caliphates, and the Romans.

The focus of this particular archaeological team was on the era of Roman occupation. 

It seems that during this time, the cave might have been a venue for some rather mysterious activities.

Inside the cave, archaeologists made several fascinating discoveries. 

One of the human skulls found in the cave. B. Zissu under the Te’omim Cave Archaeological Project Harvard Theological Review, 2023

Among the items found were axes, oil lamps, and three human skulls.

Based on how these items were arranged, the archaeologists believe they were used in dark rituals.

These rituals likely involved contacting or even summoning the dead.

If you're familiar with Warhammer, you might recognize the term 'necromancy.' 

This type of ritual deals with raising or contacting the dead, a practice that seems to have occurred in this cave.

An axe and two spearheads from the cave. Harvard Theological Review, 2023

The research, conducted by Eitan Klein from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Boaz Zissu from Bar-Ilan University, supports the notion that the cave was used for such dark purposes.

Historically, caves are often seen as gateways to the underworld. 

This belief makes it all the more plausible that these items were found in such a place, potentially used to bridge the world of the living and the dead.

In their scholarly paper, Klein and Zissu articulate: "The Te'omim Cave in the Jerusalem hills has all the cultic and physical elements necessary to serve as a possible portal to the underworld. 

"The findings and their specific archaeological contexts provide a better understanding of divination rites that were probably held in the cave."

The cave itself features a deep shaft at one end.

In addition, about 120 lamps were discovered in parts of the cave that are especially difficult to reach.

If this setup doesn’t hint at something ominous, then it’s hard to say what does.

The archaeologists concede that there is little in the way of documentation from that period about the practices they suspect took place in the cave.

They theorize that the absence of records might be because these were not the sort of activities people wanted widely known.

Honestly, if I were involved in summoning the dead in a cave, I’d likely want to keep that under wraps as well.