Introduction

The sacred place of Eleusis, is today the archaeological place of the city, in which in ancient times the Mysteries of Eleusis took place, offering ceremonies, magickal rituals, religious rituals etc. Inside of the arcaeological place there is the hill of Acropolis of Eleusis. In that hill the first houses of Eleusis were built and after many other houses close to them. I am going to describe the main sites of the place with few words, but have in mind that you will not see the 16 meters buildings, because all kind of barbarians have destroyed the place. Walk with me in this tour.

Aule

Length 65 meters, width 40 meters
It has marble to the floor. Aule (courtyard) was a very big crossroad of three roads.

Hiera Odos, the sacred road from Eleusis to Athens
The road from the port of Eleusis (from the sea to the sacred place)
The road from Megara to the west apsis

Nowadays, nothing reminds of a crossroads, because the archaeological place is pale and those roads do not connect with aule. Aule was close to eschara. Roman aule was after aule, before propylaia. Roman Aule

Eschara

Echara was an important stop. Its deepness of 1.75 meters, length 1.43 meters and width 1.06 meters. To the inside part of the altar were and are untile today 6 chimneys. In the four inside columns, a gridiron was supported. Gridiron in hellenic is eschara. The followers who were gathered in Eleusis they sacrificed in eschara before the pomp was ready to start to Athens. Eschara

Apsis

Two apsides were build by the Roman emperors who were philellenes. The east apsis of glory and the west apsis of glory. The material was marble from Penteli, the most valuable marble of the ancient world. The height of apsis was 16 meters. Around of the arch anaglyphs were with the decoration signs of Demeter and Persephone, the crossed torches. The columns were korinthians. To them, in the architrave it was written ΤΟΙΝ ΘΕΟΙΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΩ ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡΙ ΟΙ ΠΑΝΕΛΛΗΝΕΣ, that means to the Gods and to the emperor, the whole, the biggest Hellenes. The west arch was almost the same as the east. Both arches were made with the apsis of Adrianos (in Athens) as a model, so they were identical. Apsides were preparing the visitor to see a glory and magnificence. Marcus Aurelius the big stoic philosopher and emperor of Rome.

Exedra

Exadra was a place where officers attended the pomp of the followers and other rituals honoring the Goddesses.

Temple of Artemis and Poseidon

A four columned temple of doric architecture was build by marble from Penteli. It had wooden roof with pottery. The columns were monolithics. Outside the temple were two altars. Artemi's altar was made of marble. The dimensions were 3.7 X 3.08 meters. Poseidon's altar were 4 X 3.35meters. The temple of Propylaia Artemis may have been a temple of Hekate, because Hekate is strongly connected with Eleusis and the Mysteries. Moreover, we can understand why it is called the temple of Artemis, because Artemis and Hekate were the same Goddess in hellenistic area and later.

Temple of Propylaia Artemis

Kallichoron Frear

It was constructed with light blue and grey eleusinean stones, it had many angles and it was used as a place of celebrating with dancing, honouring the Goddesses.

House of Kerrykes

The house was used aby the members of Kerrykes clan to do their meetings and their rituals. It consisted by 4 rooms, three to the south and one to the north.

Propylaia

Propylaia is the manin entrance to the sacred place. It was a copy of the Propylaia of Acropolis of Athens. Peisistratos built the smaller propylaia from marble of Penteli and later the Romans built the bigger Propylaia. The smaller propylaia where before Plutoneum and the Bigger were after the aule. The columns were decorated with taurus and lions.Two Kistophoroi were supporting propylaia. One of them is in the museum and the other is stolen by the british. Kistis is a box with the symbols of Demeter:

mekon = poppy
stack of ears
voukrania (unknown to me)

Smaller propylaia lead the follower to plutonium and telesterion via pompic road. Smaller Propylaia were dedicated to the Goddess Demeter.

Larger or bigger Propylaia were a newer construction made by Roman emperors Antoninos, Marcus Aurelios or Adrianos. Those emperors loved Eleusis and Hellas too.The visitor saw firstly the bigger and the the smaller.

Plutonium

The temple of Pluto (God of the Underworld) and a katachthonic altar was built by Peisistratos. Later, a newer temple was made. Plutonium was one of the Gates of Hades! Maybe in plutonium a magical act of abduction of Persephone was performed.

Temple of Hekate

After Plutomium we see another exedra, a place in which honorary members sat and watched the pomp. South of exedra, there are stairs made by porolithos and other are sculptured in the rock. They lead to a small temple of Hekate. Hekate was leading with her torches the followers to telesterion, to learn the Mysteries. Moreover Hekate is the Goddess who helped Demeter find her daughter and she is the one who heard the abduction. Hekate and Persephone became close friends and Hekate lead Demeter to Helios. The power she has in Hades, let her lead Persephone to earth, when the deal with the Olympian Gods and Demeter was made. Maybe the temple of Artemis close to larger propylaia, was a temple to Hekate.

Eirini is entering the Temple of Hekate. Watch the stairs.

Agelastos Petra

The stone that Demeter hold and rested when she arrived to Eleusis. She was so sad and tired with the searching of her daughter that she never laughed. That's why the stone is called agelastos (gelos = humor, a+gelastos means no humor, no laughter).

Thesaurus

A big rock with a hole in the top 0.53 meters depth. Maybe the followers left their money, silver, gold offerings.

Vouleuterion

A building of three rooms in which meetings took place of senate, the counsil of the town and the parliament of 500 elected.

Store Houses

Useful places for the followers, who leaved their personal items before the beggining of the Mysteries.

Hiera Oikia

A building with three rooms and an altar.

Telesterion

Telesterion was the most sacred place of rituals in Eleusis.It was expandinf every 50 years because more and more people came to be initiated to the Mysteries. When the Romans ruled the world, roman citizens from all over the world came to Eleusis to become followers of Demeter and learn the secrets of life and death.
In that place, Demeter was living when she left the palace of Keleos and she started teaching Eleusineans her Mysteries. Magickal acts took place in telesterion, totally unknown to us. Many good writers do hypothesis of what it could happen during initiation ceremonies. The truth is that peole changed and follower Her way. Some of the architects of Telesterion were: Iktinos, Koroivos, Ksenocles, Filon. Of course, some barbarians destroyed parts and all telesterion, because yes, not all people can become humans and the Mysteries of Hellas, achieved to transform an Hellene to a higher new person.
In the center of telesterion, it was a palace, a very sacred place with sacred objects of Demeter. Noone could go inside except one person, the hierophant.