One of the most important oracles of antiquity was located in the first ancient colony of the Greeks in the West, in Kimi, Italy. The priestess, when she wished to consult Apollo, entered a sea cave. The priestess was Sibylla, respected and esteemed by all, from the last peasant to the most important king.
The name "Kymaia Sibylla" was not her real name. "Kymaia" determined her origin, while "Sibylla" determined her prophetic quality. There were many sibyls. The real names of Kymaia Sibylla are Amalthea, Diifobi and Ierophilis. An oracle said that Aeneas, whom we know as the hero of Troy, would become the founder of a great and powerful dynasty. After leaving Troy, he arrived in Latium and visited the oracle.
Sibylla then led him into a long corridor surrounded by terrible shadows. Aeneas realized that he was in the realm of the dead. Then his father Aghisis appeared before him, assuring him that his future would be bright and showing him a realm in the middle of which was Latium. He was referring to Rome. Indeed, according to Virgil, Aeneas became king of this land, from which Roman Empire developed.
The archeological excavation confirms the myth
Until the mid-20th century, although there was a myth, there was no evidence that the oracle of the Sibyl was real within the myth. However, in the 1920s a team of archeologists began excavations in the area and in particular at the Temple of Apollo at Kymi. In May 1932, the Italian archeologist Amadeo Maiuri found underground passages where the oracle was located in ancient times. It was the "Cumae Cave" which is considered the place associated with Kymaia Sibylla. Those who wanted to receive an oracle had to go down through the narrow tunnel, 131 meters long, to reach the cave.
Because of the rays of light that entered the cave, people passed through places of bright light and places of intense darkness until they reached Sibylla. Somehow, these people looked like shadows, and everyone who was there had the feeling that they were in the realm of death. It was a terrifying mystical world. When the interested person arrived at the entrance of the cave, Sibylla called out, "Quickly ask about the spell. God see God ". Her face immediately changed expression, she untied her hair and her voice was no longer human.
The cave of the Sibyl Cumae Archeological Park
Sibylline books
According to Roman documents, Sibylla's prophecies, passed down in written texts, were so correct and accurate that Tarquinius the Proud, the seventh and last king of Rome, bought the texts for a considerable sum of money and since they were considered state secrets.
During the Roman Republic, only 15 people elected by the Roman Senate had access to the books of Sibylla. These were the "Sibylline Books", which were kept and guarded in a marble crypt under the Temple of the Capitol of Zeus in Rome.
In times of need, such as on the brink of war, they would resort to them. The books in which the Romans sought the solution to all serious problems were burned in a fire in 83 BC. Among the thousands of predictions is said to be a prophetic text by the Sibyl of Kyma about Jesus. In it he foresaw not only that he would be called Christ, but also that his name would have four vowels and two consonants(Ιησούς in Greek).
According to legend, the oracle god Apollo gave Sibylla long life, but not indestructible youth. So, Michael Angelo portrayed the Kymaia Sibylla as huge and eerie on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
