Italian archaeologists find statue of Cerberus in Turkey

(ANSA) – Ankara, October 24 – A team of Italian archaeologists have discovered a statue of Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of Greek mythology for Hades, at the ‘Gate to Hell’ in Hierapolis (Turkey), ANSA was told by the head of the mission, Francesco D’Adria, from the University of Salento. The discovery of the 1.5-metre-high marble statue of Cerberus confirms that the cave found last year by D’Adria’s mission in the ancient city of Phrygia is truly the Gate to Hell described by Cicero and the important Greek geographer Strabo. D’Adria said the discovery of the statue was an extremely important historical and archaeological event. During a conference on Italian archaeological research in Turkey organized in Istanbul in March by the Italian Institute of Culture and Italian Ambassador to Turkey Giampaolo Scarante, D’Adria revealed that his team had found the entrance to the cave that according to Greek mythology gave access to Hell.

It was identified thanks to the lifeless bodies of birds killed by the toxic fumes that the cave continues to emit.