Eleusinian Mysteries Flashcards
What is the earliest archaeological evidence for Eleusis?
Earliest remains in the sanctuary date to the Bronze Age which were abandoned circa 1200 BC (at the end of the Mycenaean civilization) until 8th c. BCE
Why did the site of Eleusis fall out of use?
Continuous usage of the site until AD 395: when Eleusis was sacked by the Goths (Alaric)
Part of the Roman empire, so there was no attempt to rebuild the site under Christianity
Name 2 pieces of archaeological evidence for the cult of Eleusis:
Lovatelli urn and the Telesterion
What is depicted on the Lovatelli urn and why is it important?
The initiation of Heracles. Depicting the washing of a pig- pig then sacrificed ‘in place’ of the initiate as a symbolic death?
Persephone associated with death and rebirth - the ‘death’ of the initiates could be symbolic of her escaping the underworld
What is the Telesterion and why is it important?
Telesterion = place of initiation / place where ritual happens
Telesterion is enlarged between the archaic and classical period
Was the telesterion previously the home of someone of status (such as the king of Eleusis as mentioned in the Homeric poem to Demeter) and became a cult building when Athens took over Eleusis?
What was the main public event of the Elusinian cult?
8 day festival; public sacrifices and processions from the city of Athens to the sanctuary at Eleusis - initiate-only ritual
Why did this Greek cult (Eleusis) endure under the Romans?
Romans respected this cult when the empire was pagan and polytheistic: especially Hadrian and his successors as initiates, like Augustus had been
Who had responsibility for the festival of Eleusis?
The festival itself was the responsibility of two families: the Eumolpidae (apparently descended from the mythical Eleusinian king Eumolpus), and the Kerykes (heralds)
What were the hierai of Eluesis and why were they important?
First day of the festival: procession left Eleusis to bring the hierai - sacred objects of Demeter - from Eleusis to Athens
These hierai were unknown, but probably comprised of statues of the goddesses Kore and Demeter or representations of these deities, such as an ear of corn for Kore
Similarities with the procession of the City Dionysia (wooden cult statue brought from the sanctuary at Eleutherae to the temple near the theatre of Dionysus on the Acropolis)
What is the main literary source for the cult of Eleusis?
Homeric Hymn to Demeter (written 650-550 BCE)
- myth explaining the mythological basis of the cult (Demeter and Kore). The hymn is thought to have been composed in Eleusis, perhaps for performance at a festival
“At the heart of the myth is an explanation for the cyclical nature of agriculture” - Bowden 2023
What public decrees indicate the codependency of the cult of Eleusis and Athens?
I. Eleusis 19 (475-450 BCE) - a civic law on initiation.
I. Eleusis 28a, 430s BCE
- ‘fruit decree’, promoting cult in Athens
What is the main source for the codependency between Eleusis and Athens?
Plutarch’s Life of Alcibiades
- excerpt: the Trial of Alcibiades. Accused by Androcles of mutilating statues of hermai and profaning the mysteries. The trial may have been a farce in order to kill Alcibiades, but his defence highlighted how interlinked Athens and Eleusis were. Who sits on the trial is determined by lot on the day out of 6,000 Athenian jurors in order to avoid a skewed trial, with either the accuser or accused influencing the jury - all jurors are initiates of the mysteries. Note: this trial takes place post-Socrates, who was sentenced to suicide for atheism; therefore his defence that the court should follow city laws rather than bowing to the cult of Eleusis and executing him is highly influenced by the prior conviction of Socrates.
What other work by Plutarch is useful in understanding the Eleusinian mysteries?
Plutarch’s Life of Demetrius
- includes a depiction of Demetrius demanding to be initiated quickly, forcing the Athenians to rename the month twice so he could be initiated into the Lesser and Greater mysteries ASAP. attests to the popularity of the cult, but also how it was a political being too, influenced by Athens and malleable to the political interests of others
What other literary sources can supplement our understanding of Eleusis?
Aristophanes writes 3 comic plays which mention the mysteries: Peace, Archarnians, Wealth.
Christian plays intended to demonise the cult by portraying it as overly sexual: Clement of Alexandria: Exhortation to the Greeks; Tertullian: Against the Valentinians
