Eleusis means “the advent/the coming” and it was home to the most profound cult in antiquity. It was a Mycenaean village on top of the hill that replaced a Neolithic society. Since it was so important to the Athenian society, there was a direct road from Athens to Eleusis. Because the cult was devoted to resurrecting the dead, there was a portal to the underworld, called the Plutonium, here. In Homeric times, the underworld was not viewed as a bad thing, just as grey ground. In fact, the Greek word for devil doesn’t even appear until 2nd century.
You entered the site through the Greater Propylaea, which was built in 180 AD by the Romans and was a copy of the one in Athens. It had a stamp of the roman emperor on the pediment. Next, you proceeded through the Lesser Propylaea, which was built in 55 BC.
The telesterion was the most important building here and was where rituals (telete) took place. It can be compared to the Vatican City for present-day Christians and was the most significant place for those looking to understand life, death, and religion. This was the only place in the ancient world, before the Romans, where religion was celebrated in a communal sense.
The actual building was constructed and expanded in about 7 phases. It was the first centrally planned building with a hypostyle wall, meaning there were a lot of columns, a colonnade inside, and a 12-column portico outside. It was designed by Iktinos, who also designed the Parthenon, but considered this building to be more important.
The most famous ritual that took place here was the annual “resurrection of the daughter of the goddess.” No one spoke of the ritual; everyone wanted to participate, but only the rich could. It began in Athens at the Panathenaic Temple, from where, in September, the people participating (about 3000 towards the end) walked all the way here. The idea was to exhaust yourself on the way. Once they arrived, they drank kykeron, which was a hallucinogenic concoction made of barley. Finally, the priest would open the opaion, a hole in the roof that let light in, so that they could see the resurrection.
Here, we also heard about Greek Religion. We learned more about the rituals, sacrifices, and festivals of the ancient world.
You entered the site through the Greater Propylaea, which was built in 180 AD by the Romans and was a copy of the one in Athens. It had a stamp of the roman emperor on the pediment. Next, you proceeded through the Lesser Propylaea, which was built in 55 BC.
The telesterion was the most important building here and was where rituals (telete) took place. It can be compared to the Vatican City for present-day Christians and was the most significant place for those looking to understand life, death, and religion. This was the only place in the ancient world, before the Romans, where religion was celebrated in a communal sense.
The actual building was constructed and expanded in about 7 phases. It was the first centrally planned building with a hypostyle wall, meaning there were a lot of columns, a colonnade inside, and a 12-column portico outside. It was designed by Iktinos, who also designed the Parthenon, but considered this building to be more important.
The most famous ritual that took place here was the annual “resurrection of the daughter of the goddess.” No one spoke of the ritual; everyone wanted to participate, but only the rich could. It began in Athens at the Panathenaic Temple, from where, in September, the people participating (about 3000 towards the end) walked all the way here. The idea was to exhaust yourself on the way. Once they arrived, they drank kykeron, which was a hallucinogenic concoction made of barley. Finally, the priest would open the opaion, a hole in the roof that let light in, so that they could see the resurrection.
Here, we also heard about Greek Religion. We learned more about the rituals, sacrifices, and festivals of the ancient world.