Ritual cave of ancient necromancers found in Israel (5 photos)

Archaeologists have explored the cave of Teomim, located in the Judean mountains 30 kilometers from Jerusalem, and found in it ancient human skulls, oil lamps, ax blades and spearheads. Scientists believe that in the late Roman era, secret ceremonies were held here, associated with necromancy.





Teomim Cave was first discovered and described in 1873. In her discovered a complex underground system, spring water, which attributed healing properties, and a number of ancient artifacts.

In a new study published in Harvard Theological Review, scientists analyzed the findings made in Teomime, and came to the conclusion that this place served as a refuge for necromancers.

Theomem Cave Plan



Necromancy, or death magic, was an attempt to communicate with the souls of the dead and was an extremely common practice in ancient world. In the Roman Empire, the practice of necromancy was under ban, but people continued to believe in black magic and conduct ceremonies secretly, in some remote hiding places. In the II-IV centuries of our era (namely, the finds in the Teomim cave are dated to this time) Roman dominion over Judea was coming to an end.



The authors of the study suggest that this cave was the center of a necromantic religious cult. It contains more than 120 ceramic oil lamps, ax blades, human skulls - all these are items widely used in magical rituals, associated with the evocation of ancestral spirits. Fire was needed to see in its flame are hints of the future. Metal - to drive away evil strength.



Bronze ax and spearheads

At the same time, lamps and other objects were in narrow crevices in the walls of the cave and were placed there deliberately. According to scientists, all this indicates that the cave was ceremonies of communication with the spirits of the dead, witchcraft rites of divination future and probably human sacrifice. She was her sort of a sanctuary and a "portal" to the other world.



Deep mine in the northern part of Teomim Cave

The study suggests that the cave system was associated with the legend of Persephone and the portal to the underworld and back. Mine, located in its bowels, served as a gate, “through which they could rise dead."

"Teomim's cave in the mountains of Jerusalem has all the cult and the physical elements necessary to serve as a possible portal to the underworld, scientists write. - This is an underground space with a deep shaft at one end; a spring flows in the cave, and its waters gather in a rock-cut pool; and there are traditions attributing to the cave the power of fertility and healing.

“These rites were usually performed in tombs or burial caves, but sometimes they took place in the nekyomanteion (or nekromanteion) - "oracle of the dead", which was usually installed next to source of fresh water.