Perhaps the first mention of the phenomenon of the classical ghost, clanking with chains, was the case of the ancient Greek philosopher Athenodorus from Athens. The Roman philosopher Pliny the Younger told this story in a letter to his patron Lucius Sarah. One can only guess what in this narrative is fiction and what is true.
But in any case, this is a rather curious document. So, we read Pliny: “There was once a large and beautiful house in Athens, for which, however, the infamy of a place visited by ghosts was fixed. Rumor had it that in the middle of the night there was a terrible noise. The clatter of chains, becoming louder and louder, until suddenly a terrible phantom appeared. He was an old man, completely ugly and at the same time unhappy. A long matted beard fluttered in the breeze, gray hair was tousled and dirty. The old man, moaning loudly, could hardly move his thin legs, chained. Shackles were visible on the phantom's wrists, and the chains made a terrible sound as the phantom raised its arms, shaking them in impotent rage.
Some ironic skeptics, who had the courage to wander near the house at night, fainted from horror at the sight of the phantom. Those who dared, after sunset, within the walls of this accursed dwelling of spirits, faced at best severe illnesses, and at worst - death. People tried to stay away from this house. The sign “for rent” hung on his door year after year, but the dwelling, not finding new owners, gradually fell into disrepair.
Even the notoriety of the house could not turn Athenodorus away from him, who did not have enough money for another dwelling. Having learned about the very low cost of the house, which was in a deplorable state due to the long absence of the owners, the philosopher moved into it.
On his first night, he stayed late at work in accordance with his habit. Suddenly he heard the clatter of chains. Metallic sounds drew nearer and nearer, and finally the phantom of the old man appeared before Athenodorus. The ghost beckoned the new tenant with a finger, but he declined the invitation, trying to explain his refusal by the need to continue working. Then the ghost began to shake his chains so violently and persistently that Athenodorus could not resist, got up, took the lamp and followed the old man. The ghost took him into the garden, where he indicated a place on the ground and disappeared. Athenodorus marked the place and went to bed.
The night passed for him completely serene.
According to Pliny, the next day he approached the local authorities, telling them about what happened at night. People dug a hole in the place indicated by the ghost, and found there a skeleton of a man, whose hands remained chained in rusty chains. The ashes were duly buried, and the ritual of "cleansing from spirits" was performed in the house. After that, according to Pliny, the ghosts were no longer seen in the house, and little by little his notoriety was dispelled.