Ghosts have fascinated and terrified people for millennia, but who was the first person to actually investigate them? According to some historical sources, the answer is Athenodorus Cananites, a Greek philosopher and tutor of the Roman emperor Augustus.
Athenodorus lived in the first century BC and was a prominent figure in the Stoic school of philosophy. He was also a friend and correspondent of Pliny the Younger, a Roman writer and statesman who recorded many anecdotes and events of his time.
One of these anecdotes, found in Pliny’s Letters, is the story of Athenodorus and the haunted house. Pliny writes that there was a large and spacious house in Athens that was rumored to be haunted by a ghost in chains. The house was so notorious that no one dared to live in it, and it was eventually put up for sale at a very low price.
Athenodorus, who was visiting Athens, heard about the house and decided to buy it. He was curious to see if the ghost was real, and he wanted to test his Stoic courage and composure. He moved into the house and prepared to spend the night there.
He brought his writing materials and a lamp, and he sat down in the front room to work on his studies. He ignored the noises and disturbances that came from the other parts of the house, and he focused on his writing.
However, as the night went on, the noises became louder and more frequent. He heard the sound of iron and chains rattling and dragging on the floor. He looked up and saw a specter of an old man, pale and emaciated, with a long beard and hair, and chains on his hands and feet.
The ghost beckoned to Athenodorus, who signaled to him to wait. He wanted to finish his writing first, and he thought that the ghost might be a trick of his imagination. The ghost, however, became impatient and rattled his chains more violently. He approached Athenodorus and shook his desk and lamp.
Athenodorus then got up and followed the ghost, who led him to the courtyard of the house. There, the ghost vanished, leaving Athenodorus alone. Athenodorus marked the spot where the ghost disappeared with some grass and leaves, and he went back to his room to sleep.
The next day, he reported his experience to the local authorities, and he asked them to dig up the spot where the ghost had vanished. They did so, and they found the skeleton of a man, bound with chains, buried in the ground. They concluded that the man had been murdered and secretly buried there, and that his restless spirit had haunted the house ever since.
They gave the skeleton a proper burial, and the house was cleansed of the ghost. Athenodorus stayed in the house for some time, and he never encountered the ghost again. He had solved the mystery of the haunted house, and he had proven his bravery and wisdom.
Athenodorus’ story is one of the earliest and most detailed accounts of a paranormal investigation in history. It shows that ghosts were a common topic of conversation and interest in the ancient world, and that some people were willing to confront them and seek the truth behind them.
It also shows that Athenodorus was a remarkable man, who combined his philosophical knowledge with his practical skills and curiosity. He was not afraid of the unknown, and he used his reason and logic to explain the supernatural.
He was, in a sense, the first ghost hunter, and he set an example for many others who would follow his footsteps in the centuries to come.
