White Island

“Leuke,” the original name in Greek (leuke means white) a.k.a., “Isle of the Immortals” and “Home of Achilles.” Known as “Snake Island today, located in the Western part of the Black Sea, about 35 km East of the Ukrainian coast, just above the Romanian Danube Delta.

In antiquity the island was considered holy, its grounds sanctified in virtue of being the final resting place of the Trojan hero Achilles. This led to the construction of a temple in the 6th century BC, an unusual double design according to some scholars, with possibly one half dedicated to Achilles and the other to Apollo. The sanctuaries were frequented by worshipers who brought offerings, leading to a thriving hero cult and a working oracle that likely also operated as an “incubation facility” where “healing rituals were performed.” (Anna Rusyaeva, “The Temple of Achilles on the Island of Leuke in the Black Sea,” p. 2.)

Supposedly, a monumental statue of Achilles was erected near the temple as well as a xoanon, a wooded cult effigy of the god-hero indicating ritual use, and a bronze statue of a horse.

The dimensions of the island have shrunk considerably since ancient times. Pausanias, 2nd century AD, reports a circumference of 20 stades or 0.8 km2, while today it is down to a length of less than 700 meters, and a width of 440 meters or 0.17 km2. The temples have disappeared, and the sanctuary of Achilles was likely covered up by the construction of a lighthouse in the 19th century, though there are reports of submerged ruins nearby. 

Further reading:

Ancient Heroes. “The Lost Tomb of Achilles.”

https://ancientheroes.net/blog/lost-tomb-of-achilles.