Hopeless Hope

The Map of Hell painting by Botticelli is one of the extant ninety-two drawings that were originally included in the illustrated manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy. | mid-1480s-mid-1490s

The Divine Comedy Illustrated by Botticelli is a manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy, featuring 92 full-page illustrations by Sandro Botticelli. These illustrations are regarded as masterpieces and among the finest works of the Renaissance artist. Most of the images are silverpoint drawings, many of which have been enhanced with ink, while four pages are fully colored.

The manuscript eventually vanished but was mostly rediscovered in the late nineteenth century when Gustav Friedrich Waagen identified it in the Duke of Hamilton's collection. A few other pages were located in the Vatican Library. Previously, Botticelli had created drawings, now lost, intended for engravings in a printed edition, though only the first nineteen of the hundred cantos were illustrated.

Inferno, from the Divine Comedy by Dante (Folio 1v), 1430 by Bartolomeo

Canto XVIII, part of the 8th circle of Hell. Dante and Virgil are each shown 6 times, descending through the 10 chasms of the circle via a ridge. One of only 4 fully coloured pages.

In 1882, the Kupferstichkabinett Berlin (Museum of Prints and Drawings) expanded its collection by acquiring the primary part of the manuscript when director Friedrich Lippmann purchased 85 drawings by Botticelli. The announcement of the sale sparked significant outrage in the British press and Parliament. Shortly thereafter, it was discovered that an additional eight drawings from the same manuscript were housed in the Vatican Library. These bound drawings had been part of Queen Christina of Sweden's collection, and following her death in Rome in 1689, they were acquired by Pope Alexander VIII for the Vatican collection. The exact time when these drawings were separated is unknown. The Map of Hell is part of the Vatican collection.

The illustrations that are both the most debated and remarkable include the portrayal of details about the hell, and the initial inquiries people had regarding the idea of dungeons.

The painting's striking and straightforward style vividly portrays the conditions and lifestyle of the people in the dungeon. The structured and logical architectural design enhances the depiction's rationality, allowing viewers to subconsciously accept the historical representation. Within this plausible structure, there seems to be a sense of hopeless hope. This suggests that even people in dungeons or hell adhere to set routines; at the very least, despair isn't the predominant impression left on subsequent viewers of the illustrations.

The study of underground cities has been a mysterious and pioneering endeavor throughout history. Every nation has its own underground cities, primarily intended to protect people from harm during times of war. These despairing illustrations aptly evoke the concept of the underground city as a beacon of hope for humanity.

(Derinkuyu, nearly 3,000 years old, was found by chance when a man demolished his basement wall. Archaeologists later uncovered that the city extended 18 stories underground and contained all the essentials for subterranean living, such as schools, chapels, and even stables.)

The underground city in Turkey, most famously the Derinkuyu Underground City, has a fascinating history. It is believed to have been originally developed by the Phrygians in the 7th–8th centuries BCE. Over centuries, it was expanded and used by various civilizations, including early Christians fleeing persecution during the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Derinkuyu could accommodate thousands of people and included living spaces, tunnels, chapels, and storage rooms. Its purpose was primarily for protection against invasions and raids from enemies. The city is one of many such underground settlements in Cappadocia, a region renowned for its unique rock formations and historical sites.

The origins of the underground city are believed to date back to the Phrygian civilization around the 8th or 7th century BCE. The soft volcanic rock in the Cappadocia region made it easy to carve out extensive underground tunnels and chambers. Initially, these subterranean spaces likely served as refuge or storage areas for early inhabitants.

Over the centuries, the underground city was significantly expanded during the Hellenistic period (around 3rd century BCE). It became a complex and multi-level network, with some estimates suggesting up to 18 levels, although only 8 are open to visitors today. The city was fortified with large doors that could be rolled into place to block passages from invaders.

During the Roman Empire, the underground city was used by early Christians seeking refuge from Roman persecution. It served as a place of safety during various invasions, including raids by the Persians and Arabs. The city had numerous amenities, such as storage rooms, stables, kitchens, and churches, allowing inhabitants to live underground for extended periods.

Ventilation shafts provided fresh air throughout the city. Hidden tunnels linked Derinkuyu to other underground settlements. The underground city in Turkey, such as Derinkuyu, was designed as a strategic defense mechanism to avoid war and invasions. Some ways it helped inhabitants avoid conflict.

The city was built deep into the volcanic rock, concealed beneath the ground, making it difficult for enemies or Satellites to discover. Its concealed entrances further protected residents from surprise attacks in secrecy and hidden location. Large stone doors—simple to close from inside—could be rolled into place to block tunnels and entrances, preventing invaders from penetrating the city in fortified entrances. The extensive and maze-like passageways made it hard for invaders to navigate and locate the main living areas or escape routes in complex tunnel network. The underground city could host thousands of people, providing a secure refuge during wartime. Its multiple levels kept residents safe from external threats in community defense.

The city’s positioning among the soft volcanic rock allowed rapid construction of numerous secret entrances and escape routes, giving inhabitants multiple evacuation options as strategic location. In some instances, inhabitants could create false exits or hide the true entrances to mislead invaders or confuse attackers by using of distractions.

This combination of concealment, fortification, and complex architecture made the underground city a highly effective refuge and means to avoid war during turbulent periods.

(The Derinkuyu Underground City in central Turkey was rediscovered in 1963 when a man uncovered a tunnel during home renovations. It could accommodate 20,000 people and extends nearly 300 feet below the surface.

- Depth and size: roughly 85 meters deep, with up to 18 carved levels in total (about 8 are usually open to visitors).

- Capacity: estimates vary, but it could hold thousands—some estimates suggest up to ~20,000 people plus livestock, depending on how much space was used.

- Construction: excavated in soft volcanic tuff (easier to carve but stable enough to create large caverns) using hand tools.)

Parts of Cappadocia’s underground systems likely began in the Iron Age (possible Neo-Hittite/Phrygian phases), but the largest expansions occurred in the Byzantine period. The cities were repeatedly enlarged and reused across centuries. Especially during the early medieval period (7th–11th centuries) many underground settlements were expanded as Christians and local populations sought refuge from raids (for example, Arab raids in the 7th–9th centuries) and later threats.

Continued use and reoccupation occurred in later medieval and even Ottoman periods; some locals used the spaces intermittently into the 20th century.

Chapels with frescoes, Christian inscriptions, pottery, coins, and domestic artifacts support long-term civilian occupation and intense use in Byzantine times. Exact dating of earliest phases is still a subject of study and debate.

Derinkuyu is one of the most impressive and extensive underground cities in Cappadocia, with a history that dates back to at least the Hittite era. Its construction is believed to have begun in the 7th to 8th centuries BC, with various expansions and renovations occurring over the centuries. The city features multiple levels, reaching depths of about 60 meters, and is connected by a complex system of tunnels.

In short, these underground cities are sophisticated defensive refuges rather than mere storage rooms, combine deliberate architectural features for sealing, defending, ventilating, and sustaining whole communities through prolonged danger.

People who used Cappadocia’s underground cities (Derinkuyu, Kaymaklı, Özkonak and others) didn’t live there as a modern permanent urban life most of the time — these complexes were primarily refuges designed to shelter whole communities during raids or other threats — but archaeological evidence shows they were fully equipped for extended habitation.

Why did people go underground? They sought protection from raids and warfare, such as Arab raids in the early medieval era, as well as from banditry and local unrest. These underground refuges could be used temporarily during a campaign or repeatedly over generations. Some families likely remained there for extended periods when threats persisted.

Who resided there? Entire communities, numerous families, along with their livestock and valuables. The sizes varied — some locations could accommodate hundreds to thousands of individuals. The social structure probably mirrored local village systems, with elders, family heads, and appointed defenders or guards managing the use and upkeep.

Because facilities supported long-term survival, some groups may have lived underground for extended periods during protracted conflicts. Living underground was cramped and would have been psychologically stressful; communal organization, religious practice and shared tasks helped sustain morale.

Archaeological evidence, such as pottery, coins, tools, oil lamps, loom weights, millstones, frescoed chapels, and inscriptions, indicates ongoing domestic, religious, and economic activities. Excavation and maintenance were community-driven efforts, involving tasks like digging new rooms, clearing ventilation shafts, repairing stone doors, and managing waste, all of which required organized labor. The construction utilized local soft volcanic tuff, a material that is relatively easy to carve and remains structurally stable when properly planned.

The complexes were built and remodeled over many centuries. What people see as “one city” is usually a palimpsest of different periods and owners, not a single building campaign. Local secrecy of villagers traditionally guarded knowledge of entrances and passages, so that local secrecy helped to protect the sites and kept some entrances out of official records until modern surveys.

When war erupts, a country initially focused on safeguarding its elite class, including scientists, inventors, and confidential scientific researchers. These individuals were typically briefed on the mission, which included details about the location of the underground city and the infrastructure designed to aid their escape during the conflict.

The "feigned death" of the elite above ground was often heavily publicized to deceive adversary nations. Nonetheless, some of the elite could seamlessly transition between underground and land life using methods like clothing changes, disguises, makeup, or facial surgery. Some were "incarcerated" to prevent them from betraying the nation or disclosing confidential information.

It is insufficient to solely protect the elite class. Life in the underground also necessitated people to serve the elites. Consequently, a significant number of laborers and service personnel were "disappeared" by "large-scale disaster accidents" and relocated to the underground city one after another. This large group was brought to the underground city through a way of "kidnapping." They remained unaware of the underground city's layout, including its entrances and exits, and other specific details. Most were transported there with their eyes covered or while in a coma, then placed in designated areas to live and work, ensuring the secrets of the underground city remain undisclosed.

The lives of the labor and service classes underground were entirely separate from those above ground. They were unaware of any events occurring on the land. Their only source of information was the official national notifications.

To create a pseudomorph, a certain number of residents remained above land as a cover. A part of these individuals were from the middle or higher education segments of the middle class, along with a few women, the elderly, children and all poors of lowerclasses. The lives of this middle class above ground were closely one-on-one tracked and monitored individually by another group of middle-class underground to ensure the nation's safety. The middle class above the land was unaware of what was beneath the ground or being monitored.

The underground existence of the middle class was restricted to a specific scope and overseen by the labors.If someone was discovered to have revealed the underground city or betrayed the country, they were executed immediately.

The underground city of Derinkuyu in Turkey was discovered in 1963 when a resident began renovating his home and stumbled upon a hidden room that led to a vast subterranean complex. Archaeological studies estimate that Derinkuyu could have housed up to 20,000 people and included amenities such as ventilation shafts, wells, and even religious spaces.

In 2020, a program on Turkish TV show exposed the secret of Adrenochrome, a substance that can delay aging of human, and its source of extraction is children in fear and young women, especially during wartime. Throughout the war, children and women were considered vulnerable groups needing "disappearance" above ground, and underground cities inevitably served as their safest refuge.

Today, Derinkuyu is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, drawing tourists and researchers fascinated by its distinctive architecture and historical importance, and stands as a testament to the resourcefulness and adaptability of its ancient residents.

Jovana Tanaskovic

Belgrade, Central Serbia

11:28 AM, Mon

Nov 10, 2025

Co-writing by Artpendix Team