Σπήλαιο Νυμφών

Spílaio Nymfón - Μαρμαροσπηλιά - Marmarospilia

Useful Information

Location:	Vathi 283 00. On Ithaka (island). 3 km NE from the capital Ithaki. (38.3610457, 20.7065059)
Open:	closed. [2024]
Fee:	closed. [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave Lost Caves
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	A=180 m asl
Guided tours:	closed. [2024]
Photography:	closed. [2024]
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Porphyry (no year): On the Cave of the Nymphs, translated by Thomas Taylor. Phanes Press. Jennifer Larson (2001): Greek Nymphs: Myth, Cult, Lore., Oxford University Press. 380 pp. Nympholiptou Cave p 242. Anna Petroheilou (1984): The Greek Caves Ekdotike Athenon S.A., Athens 1984, pp. 64-65. Άννα Ι. Πετροχείλου (1971): Το σπήλαιον "Μαρμαροσπηλιά ή "Άντρον Νυμφών" Ιθάκης Δελτίον Ελληνικής Σπηλαιολογικής Εταιρίας, Αρχείο Τευχών, τ.11 τεύχ.1 - 2 (Ιαν. - Ιούν. 1971). online Ψηφιακή Βιβλιοθήκη Θεόφραστος - Τμήμα Γεωλογίας. Α.Π.Θ. (Digital Library Theophrastus - Department of Geology. U.P.TH.)
Address:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1971	explored by Anna Petroheilou.
1980	opened as a show cave.
1998	archaeological excavation by the Athens Archaeological Society of The Ministry Of Culture.
2002	excavations ended, cave locked and abandoned.

Description

The name Σπήλαιο Νυμφών (Spílaio Nymfón, Cave of the Nymphs) comes from the ancient Greek mythology, it was a place of worship of the Nymphs. It is often written Σπήλαιο του Νυμφών (Spílaio tou Nymfón), which is the correct writing, but on the sign at the cave entrance it is written without the "tou". Its unclear when this name was first used, but it seems to be the result of the movement to connect real sites on Ithaka with the fictional book The Odyssey by Homer since the mid-19th century. The locals actually called the cave Μαρμαροσπηλιά (Marmarospilia, Marble Cave), most likely because of the marble-like (transparent) speleothems.

"In what ship, my dear father, did your crew bring you to Ithaca? Of what nation did they declare themselves to be - for you cannot have come by land?"
"I will tell you the truth, my son", replied Ulysses. "It was the Phaeacians who brought me here. They are great sailors, and are in the habit of giving escorts to anyone who reaches their coasts. They took me over the sea while I was fast asleep, and landed me in Ithaca, after giving me many presents in bronze, gold, and raiment. These things by heaven's mercy are lying concealed in a cave, and I am now come here on the suggestion of Minerva that we may consult about killing our enemies. First, therefore, give me a list of the suitors, with their number, that I may learn who, and how many, they are. I can then turn the matter over in my mind, and see whether we two can fight the whole body of them ourselves, or whether we must find others to help us."
Homer (800 B.C.): The Odyssey Book XVI online With kind permission. Smile

It is said, that this was the place where the Phaeacians left the sleeping Odysseus and the gifts they gave him, when they brought him back to Ithaca, ten years after the end of the Troyan War. One of the reasons is the description of the Cave of the Nymphs in the Odyssey in book 13.

and at the head of the harbor is a slender-leaved olive
and near by it a lovely and murky cave
sacred to the nymphs called Naiads.
Within are kraters and amphoras
of stone, where bees lay up stores of honey.
Inside, too, are massive stone looms and there the nymphs
weave sea-purple cloth, a wonder to see.
The water flows unceasingly. The cave has two gates,
the one from the north, a path for men to descend,
while the other, toward the south, is divine. Men do not
enter by this one, but it is rather a path for immortals.
Homer (800 B.C.): The Odyssey Book XIII online With kind permission. Smile

The cave actually has two entrances. The one in the north is for man, as it is narrow and easy to enter. The one in the south is for gods, as it is an opening in the ceiling, and so the people were not able to use it during the Bronze Age, only the gods were able to fly through. However, if this is the only detail which fits, that's not very convincing. And one fact is rather curious: the Cave of the Nymphs is 180 m above sea level, and it is rather strenuous to carry all the presents so far. A cave closer to the shore would be a better bet. Finds of twelve tripods in Loizos Cave, similar to those Odysseus is supposed to have received from the Phaeacians, make this cave a much better bet.

This cave is about 2.5 km up a rough but navigable road, signposted from the brow of the hill above Dhéxa beach in the Bay of Vathi. The claim that this cave is mentioned in Homer's Odyssey (XII, 96) where the returning Odysseus concealed the gifts given to him by King Alcinous, is enhanced by the proximity of Dhéxa beach, although there is some evidence that the "true" cave was located just above the beach and was accidentally destroyed by quarrying some years ago.

A narrow entrance leads into a level floored chamber 7 m wide by 4 m deep and 3 m high. To the left there is a balcony overlooking a large chamber which is 5 m lower down. This is The Great Chamber, 14 m long, 10 m wide and 10 m high containing some sooty coloured speleothems. The chamber is dimly lit by a small karst window in the ceiling, giving a very ghostly effect. A small side passage for 5 m before closing down. A powerful torch is needed.

Text by Tony Oldham (2002). With kind permission.

The cave was listed on showcaves.com under the name Marmarospilia or Marble Cave, its old name, and it was listed as a show cave, which it is not. There are numerous show caves in Greece which have no light and poor trails, and this cave actually has a gate, which is a sign for a show cave. Anna Petroheilou published a map with the tourist trail in her book, but she actually speculated that this would become a show cave and designed a possible trail. Many pages on the web are based on her description (including ours) which is not very good because the book is not very detailed and more than 40 years old. And some pages actually interpreted her fictitious "show cave" design as reality. But despite nonexistent development there was a man who tried to operate it as a show cave named Symeonoglou, and he offered guided tours to the semi-wild cave since 1980. It is said that he had about 7,000 visitors every year. But when the excavations started, the cave was closed to the public.

To establish, if there actually was a cult of nymphs in the cave, archaeological excavations by Prof Sarantis Symeonoglou, Professor at Saint Louis University, started in 1998. He was supported by the Athens Archaeological Society of The Ministry Of Culture. The finds are figurines of the nymphs and their companion Panos. They also discovered a second chamber, the same size as the first but at a deeper level which contained a wealth of animal bones. The roof was collapsed, probably during various earthquakes, and between 2 and 3 m of debris covered the archaeological remains and protected them. The archaeologists installed a generator-powered lift, which reached a depth of 21 m, to lift the rocks out of the cave. In total, the excavation reached a depth of 36 m, and they removed tons of rocks to reach the relevant layers.

When the excavations ended, the cave remained closed. For unknown reasons, the results of the excavation were never published. As far as we understand, the removal of so much material from the lower chamber made the cave unsafe and so it was never reopened as a show cave. It seems Prof Symeonoglou, who led the excavations is known for careless destruction of all things which are not archaeological. The speleothems from the cave which were dumped on the piles have been stolen in the following years. This cave is unsafe and most speleothems are destroyed as a result of the excavations. The cave was simply gated, it is full of abandoned, rotting machinery and tools.

Today the site is for unknown reasons still featured on numerous tourist websites, the descriptions are all from the 1980s and completely wrong. There are very few sources which describe the degradation of the cave due to the excavations. Our perception: this cave will never be reopened as a show cave. We even classified it as a Explain Lost Cave because it is destroyed. Also, this cave is mostly of archaeological interest, so it is more interesting to visit the findings in the museum. Some can be seen in the Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Ιθάκης (Archaeological Museum of Ithaca) in Vathi.