Case file · High strangeness
The Gate to Hell at Hierapolis
Strabo wrote that birds and bulls died at the Ploutonion, the Gate of Pluto at Hierapolis, while eunuch priests survived. Italian archaeologists rediscovered the site in 2013 and saw birds dying there.
2013 CE · 37.92, 29.13 · status: explained
The account
Francesco D'Andria's team found the cave, temple and theatre seating. Ancient visitors bought birds to test the deadly vapour.
The sceptical view
A 2018 study measured carbon dioxide from the underlying fault reaching lethal levels at night and at dawn, settling low enough to kill animals while standing priests could breathe.