Greek Inscription

Greek Inscription

View looking down at the dedicatory inscription, in Latin, that mentions Pluto and his bride Kore, deities ruling the Underworld.  Some details are visible if you download the image at Max Size Available.

A sign at the site indicates that the text reads:

     ΠΛΟΥΤΩΝΙΚΑΙΚΟΡΗΤΗΝΨΑΛΙΔΑΚΑΙΤΟΘΥΡΩΜΑ

This wall and the entrance were constructed in the late first century B.C.  At that time the rock face of the terrace and the opening were covered with travertine blocks, with Ionic semi-columns flanking the entrance to the cavity.


In March 2013, Francesco D'Andria, professor of classic archaeology at the University of Salento and excavator at Hierapolis announced that he had excavated the well–known, to ancient authors, Plutonium at Hierapolis—known as the gate to the Underworld.