Facing the Dead: Landscape and Ritual of Ancient Greek Death Oracles

Abstract

The first written evidence for necromancy is Odysseus's consultation of the dead Tiresias in the Homeric Odyssey (c.700–650 BC). Before this, already Near Eastern and Egyptian seers or shamans used a particular magical environment (such as graveyards by night) for the evocation of dead people, though we cannot speak of an institutionalized oracle sanctuary at a particular place. Only from the fifth century BC do we hear of so-called nekuomanteia, “places of necromancy” or “oracles of death.” Usually these cult places were located in caves, which were associated with the entrance of Hades. People visiting these places were supposed to enter the underworld and meet the dead “face to face.” To evoke this experience, not only the ritual but also the environment was crucial. Drawing upon the works of historical as well as modern psychological research, the following article seeks to give an insight into ancient cult architecture and practice and examine their potential influence on the oracle-seeking client.

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