Notes on the death of PG, Archaeologist

Death notice in newsletter of the American Society of Archaeologists, April 5th, 2021
"We regret to report the passing of Dr. P.G., long a leader in archaeological research and a friend of many in this society. He passed away in Greece on March 25th following injuries sustained from a knife wound. The circumstances of his death are under investigation by the Greek government at the time of this writing."

Démarche from U.S. embassy in Athens to the Greek government concerning the death of P.G., March 27th
"We have learned of the recent death of the American scholar Dr. P.G. on the Greek island of K. While the details are not fully known at this time, there is reason to believe that his death may have been related to a tourist event held on that island. We are certain that the Greek government will investigate this matter with its customary thoroughness and request that we be kept informed of any relevant discoveries that may be made."

Reply of Greek government to the U.S. embassy in Athens concerning its investigation into the death of P.G., March 28th
"Mr. X.'s government appreciates the information received from the U.S. embassy yesterday and wishes to assure the government of the United States that everything possible is being done to discover the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. P.G. The festival that he was attending at the time of his death is an old one and has never been the occasion of any violence, let alone the death of any of the spectators. We expect that the investigation will show this to have been the result of a tragic accident rather than any negligence on the part of the festival organizers. Nevertheless, we shall pursue this investigation wherever it may lead, and we will keep the American embassy abreast of important developements that may occur."

Email from Professor E.W. to Professor J.A., March 29th
"I came here right away. There is quite a buzz about P.G.'s death around here. Most people are convinced that he committed suicide, but that seems out of character. I have been in contact with the police and they have asked me to verify his identity, which I will do tomorrow."

Email from Professor J.A. to Professor E.W., March 29th
"Thank you for looking into this. I was worried about P.G. based on the emails he had been sending me, but I did not expect anything like this.

P.G. was in Greece doing research in the region of Chalcis. He had been there for several months when I received an email from him concerning the nearby island of K., previously unknown to both of us, which P.G. had just learned was the site of a festival of Cybele which purported to be historically accurate as far as it could be. Although this is quite outside P.G.'s normal area of research, he thought the opportunity to see the ritual in something like its original form would be too good to pass up, so he immediately suspended his work and departed for K. The festival is apparently performed for tourists year-round; the fact that it was "holy week" for Cybele made it more enticing for P.G.

P.G. sent me a brief email informing me of his change in plans. As a matter of caution, he likes to keep me abreast of his current location since he has no family who might come to his assistance in the case of an emergency. I agreed that it sounded like a good idea, but I had second thoughts after the email he sent me the next morning, which I include here:

'From: P.G.
To: J.A.
Subject: Strange festival

J.,

This little side trip of mine has been more interesting than I expected or wanted. Last night I attended the festival, which I'm afraid was more of a tourist attraction than an authentic reproduction of the ancient rites. It was held after sunset, on the beach, around a large bonfire. Frankly, it seemed more reminiscent of a luau or some other Pacific island feast than a Greek festival. The performers were all male, but the audience was hosted by young Greek women of the most sultry appearance. They were unbelievably ingratiating and I almost had cause to regret my lifetime of celibacy as I chatted with them. They served an alcoholic beverage which they claimed was authentic to the period they are recreating. I doubt it, because I expect that the ancient Greeks used wine. The beverage they served was not wine and certainly not ouzo, although I believe it was distilled. It was slightly sweet and very smooth, and I'm afraid I had more than I should have, although I do not believe I was every drunk, experiencing at most a mild buzz. The atmosphere, with the great fire, conversation, and compelling rhythm of the tympana, was itself enough to account for the sense of relaxation and warmth that I felt.
That was my impression at the time, but after the dream I had last night, I have to assume that my mind was more muddled than I previously realized. In my dream, I was at the festival again but it had a more orgiastic character. The women were topless and the men who were performing danced naked, sometimes castrating themselves in the manner of the ancient Cybelene priests. (As an aside, I've always found it hard to believe that anyone could perform a spontaneous self-castration. Perhaps someone sufficiently drunk or drugged might be willing to do so, but it is hard to imagine that he would have the co-ordination to do the job properly.) The hostess to whom I was talking became very flirtatious, sitting in my lap, running her hands over me, and generally doing everything possible to arouse me short of actual sexual contact. Eventually she stood up and took my hand, attempting to lead me into the circle of dancers around the bonfire. I was confused and thought she might be implying that I should castrate myself. I was struggling against my own desires, which told me to follow her, when I awoke.

I shall be returning to the festival tonight with the firm intention of drinking nothing so that I may observe the performance with a clearer mind, after which I will return to Euboea the following morning.'

I don't know much about P.G.'s personal life, but he has never shown the slightest interest in women, or men either. I was a little worried that the "hostesses," who were simply performing their job to make tourists comfortable (and convince them to spend money on beverages and the like), might cause a rush of hormones that would impair his judgment. Not that I thought it would be bad for him to take a more active interst in women, but I hardly thought the circumstances were conducive to a healthy attitude from a man who, at nearly 50 years old, never appeared to have thought about sex. Much better that he should be in familiar surroundings with women who actually wanted to date him, if it came to that.

Nevertheless, I didn't say anything to discourage his plan to return to the festival again. I merely expressed my view that getting back to his research would undo any confusion that he may have been feeling from the alcohol or anything else. The next day, I got an email which made me think I should have expressed my disapproval of the festival more strongly:

'From: P.G.
To: J.A.
Subject: Another dream

J.,

I saw the festival again last night and I was surprised at how much I missed the first time. It was not authentic in the sense of being a strict recreation, but it did contain many accurate details, some mingled from other rituals, that I missed the first time. What most astounded me was that the male performers actually flogged themselves – odd enough for an annual ritual, but incredible for a performance that is repeated nightly. I can only assume that there are rotating sets of performers? I also noticed that the ranks of those dancing around the bonfire grew during the evening as various audience members stripped off their shirts or completely disrobed and joined the dance. I assume they must have been drunk. Fortunately, I kept to my resolution and drank nothing.

It is less fortunate that I had another dream, more frightening than the first, again last night. I was again at the festival and was being seduced by a hostess. She would at one moment stick out her chest so I could not avoid staring at her breasts, and the next moment cross her arms to cover them up, as though I were not allowed to see them. She leaned in and kissed me. As you may know, I have never been kissed before, so I can only imagine what it feels like. Whether realistic or not, the sensation it gave me was one of the most life-giving experiences I have ever had, even if it was in a dream. But in the midst of this rapture, I felt a sharp pain from my chest down to my navel. I pulled away and looked down to see that she had made a cut down the center of my body. It was not deep enough to be dangerous, but it was bleeding. It also stung, but I believe the greater sting was from the sense of betrayal. To go from a wonderful kiss to being sliced open was utterly shocking. The lady looked at me with a half-smile which appeared mischievous, playful, and contemptuous at the same time. In her hand, I saw the blade with which she cut me.

I wanted to leave, but she began pouting, leaned over, and again kissed me. Again, an amazing sense of warmth and purpose filled me. Again, I felt a sting on my chest, this time looking down and seeing a cut that ran between my nipples. My torso was becoming smeared with blood from my two cuts, and I was terrified. Not that I thought my wounds would be fatal, but I felt so vulnerable to be exposed to such cuts. I wanted to get away, but when I tried to get up, strong arms held me down. I looked around and saw a muscular figure, dressed as one of the priests, behind me. When I turned back to the woman, she was holding the knife by her ear, pointed at me, and smiling in a way that was not reassuring at all. It was...triumphant. The man grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled my head back, and I could just see the woman advancing the knife slowly toward my chest. I screamed – they did nothing to stop me – and the knife continued forward slowly. When the point touched my chest, I felt, not pain, but rather a coldness grip my body, paralyzing me completely. Then I woke up.

I am still here on the island of K. The dream has shaken me up too much to take any action; I have lain in bed in the hotel all day. I know I should get back to Euboea, but I don't have the motivation. I hope by writing this email, it will purge me of some of my fear and put me in the mindset to return to my research. I would be glad to hear from you, since I feel lonely for the first time in my adult life. I may even cut my trip short and go back to Illinois in the next few days.'

Naturally, I called P.G. immediately after receiving this message, but he did not answer his cell phone. I left a reassuring voice message and sent him an email reasserting in the strongest terms that he was my friend, need not feel alone, and urging him to return to the university here as soon as possible, or, at the very least, to get off of K. and back to his research.

I heard nothing the next day, and then received notice of his death the following morning. Obviously, I am crushed at this developement and I blame myself for not having flown to Greece immediately on receipt of his last email.

It is too late to do anything now, but I would be glad for whatever you can learn about the circumstances of his death. The fact that it is being considered a suicide is the most troubling part to me. For my conscience, it would be better if it were almost anything else. However, I am prepared to hear the truth, even if it hurts me.

Thank you again for responding so quickly. I hated to interrupt your research, but I think you will understand my motivation.

Sincerely,
J.A."


Email from Professor E.W. to Professor J.A.
"From: E.W.
To: J.A.
Subject: Condolences

J.,

I am sorry to hear of the circumstances in the days prior to P.G.'s death. These are not the actions of the man I knew, and there is no question that he was affected by some mental disturbance that upset his rationality.

I met with the police today and confirmed the identity of the deceased. They asked if I wanted to view his wounds in case I might be able to provide any additional context. I agreed, but I am sorry I did. J., I'm glad you did not have to witness it because it was a butchery that I have difficulty comprehending. I will not go into details except to say that it confirmed my opinion that something was very, very wrong with P.'s mental state at the time of his death.

I hope we can put this behind us as quickly as possible and return to work, which I'm sure is what P.G. would have wanted.

Sincerely,
E.W."

Message from the Greek government to the U.S. embassy in Athens, April 7th
"The police have concluded their investigation into the death of an American citizen named P.G. on March 24th on the island of K. (see attachment). Eyewitness accounts make it clear that P.G. died of self-inflicted wounds. Whether it was a suicide attempt or not cannot be determined at this time. What is certain is that the agency that put on the festival in the course of which he died, bears no responsibility for the death.

We sincerely regret the passing of this scholar on the Greek soil that he loved. Arrangements are under way to remove the body to the United States for his burial in accordance with your wishes. You have our deepest symapthy," etc.

Police report concerning the death of P.G.
"Police were summoned to the medical facility on the island of K. on March 24th and arrived shortly before the victim, P.G. By the time he was brought, he had already lost a large amount of blood and was in shock from the great pain he had suffered. He was pronounced dead at 11:06 p.m. while doctors were hooking him up to an IV.

The agency F.R. reported that the victim had appeared at its festival for the two nights preceding his death. Although it is unusual for people to attend multiple consecutive nights, he did not behave in any way that caused them to suspect his intentions. The only thing anyone remarked was how intently he observed the performances.

On the third night, P.G. appeared to become intoxicated as the evening wore on, although several hostesses insisted that he had not bought any drinks, and no evidence of alcoholic beverages were found on his person. Other audience members near where he was standing confirm that he seemed to be entranced by the performance and began swaying, then dancing, to the music. At approximately 10:37 p.m., P.G. removed his clothes and joined the circle of performers dancing around the bonfire. Audience members are encouraged to participate, and although his nudity was remarked by all present, no one thought it was interfering with the performance so it was decided not to ask him to get dressed.

After approximately two circuits around the fire, P.G. left the group of performers briefly, headed to where his clothes were lying, and returned with a large knife. The knife was of a type that may be purchased on the island of K., and a clerk at the store where it is sold confirmed that P.G. had bought the knife earlier that day. A sheath fitting the knife was found among his clothes.

The deceased continued to dance around the fire while brandishing the knife prominently. For some reason which could not be ascertained, he stopped suddenly and chopped at his groin area in an apparent attempt at self-castration. The initial blow having failed, he fell to his knees and continued to strike at himself increasingly erratically until finally falling face-down in the dirt. The act caught everyone off-guard and agency members attest that they were briefly frozen in horror and bewilderment at what was passing. A Mrs. R.K. recovered her senses first and rushed to the scene of the bloody blows, finding P.G. apparently unconscious and bleeding profusely. The police and ambulance services were immediately summoned, but arrived too late to save him.

The tradition being re-enacted in this cermony is a ritual for the ancient Greek goddess Cybele, which is alleged to have been accompanied on occasion by some priests castrating themselves. The agency in charge assures us that no mention is made of castration in any of the historical introduction or the performance itself, and interviews with audience members that night confirm this to be the case. P.G., a professor of archaeology specializing in Ancient Greece, would have known about the self-castrations but cannot have been prompted by anything the agency did or suggested. No clear chain of causes from P.G.'s recent history provides any indication of why he would suddenly attempt to perform this act himself. The only possible indicators are strange dreams that he reported to a colleague on the nights following the first two performances that he witnessed.

The agency is at pains to note that no violent events have ever occurred at their re-enactments, nor do they suggest or promote violence in any way. They have announced a new policy of not allowing weapons of any sort at their performances, but this was the first known instance of a weapon's having been drawn. In light of these facts, the police determine that there is no reason to pursue a case of wrongful death against the agency or any of its members. The deceased was evidently in a mentally disturbed state, and the performance at which he attempted to castrate himself was only the occasion for his act, not the justification for it. The agency stopped performances for two weeks following the unfortunate death, but they have since resumed them with police department approval."