A cave in the Jerusalem Hills may once have served as a local oracle where peoplecommuned with the deadin the Hope of study about the future . Known as the Te’omim Cave , the creepy cranny is littered withhuman skullsand other items associated with black art , and is describe by researchers as a potential “ portal to the underworld ” .
analyze the discoveries made at the cave , the writer of a new study intimate that Te’omim might have hosted “ secret rites involving necromancy and communicating with the dead , mainly by Wiccan . ”
“ These rites were usually conducted within tombs or burial cave , but sometimes they admit position in a nekyomanteion ( or nekromanteion ) – an ' oracle of the dead ' , ” excuse the researchers . “ These shrines were generally place in caves or next to water author that were trust to be possibleportals to the Scheol . ”
Intriguingly , early archaeological verbal description of Te’omim from the 19th C reveal that topical anaesthetic still impute healing powers to the spring water that flowed in the cave . More recently , researchers have uncover romish - era items stashed in nooks and crannies within the cave , many of which may have been used to put across with the dead .
“ Some crevices contained group of vegetable oil lamp mix with weapon and pottery vessels from earlier periods or range with human skulls , ” write the study authors .
While it ’s difficult to translate the function of these ancient object , the researcher explicate that “ human skulls were used throughout the Roman Empire , include in Palestine and the vicinity , in sorcery observance and communication with the numb . ” Likewise , they say that oil lamps on a regular basis featured in such religious rite , as participants essay to divine the future based on the shapes make by the fire .
Furthermore , the study source play up legion historical origin which allude to the impression that spirits were frightened of metallic element , particularly bronze and iron . They therefore indicate that the presence of sword and other weapon system may have served to “ protect the believer from evil spirits and to ensure that oblation to the specific flavor being conjured up were not clutch by other spirits . ”
“ In light of all this , we can propose with due caution that necromancy ceremonial occasion take home in the Te’omim Cave in the Late papist period , and that the cave may have dish out as a local prophesier ( nekyomanteion ) for this role , ” exit the investigator ,
The study has been publish in the journalHarvard Theological Review .
