Charonioi klimakes : KAH-vay-a; KAH-vee-a

(Greek: stairway to or from the underworld). Underground passage leading from offstage to an opening in the center of the orchestra (also known as Charonian or Charon stairway); Charon was the mythological ferryman who conveyed the souls of the dead across the Styx; used by the chthonic deities or for “ghostly apparitions” (Pollux); examples at Argos, Siracusae, and Eretria; not a typical feature of Greek theatre construction.