Il Ploutonion a Hierapolis di Frigia

Abstract

Recent research conducted by the MAIER – Italian Archaeological Mission – has focused on the central area of the city of Hierapolis in Phrygia (Pamukkale, Turkey), south of the Sanctuary of Apollo. The 2007–2012 investigations brought to light an intricate architectural complex, built in the fi rst half of the 1^st century A.D. along the seismic fault. Thanks to the dedicatory inscription, the structures, comprising a cave embellished with an arch and a rectilinear theatre, can be identified as the famous Ploutonion cited many times by ancient authors. This paper analyses the recently discovered archaeological evidence, highlighting the phases of the Ploutonion’s chronological development, up until its proto-Byzantine transformation into a nymphaeum and its subsequent obliteration. At the same time the new data on the ritual functions and practices associated with the Ploutonion are analysed in relation to the information provided by the literary testimony of the ancient visitors to the sanctuary.