Editing Eleusinion (section)

==Description==
===Literary sources===
[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] describes the sanctuary in the 2nd century AD, as containing two temples, one for [[Demeter]] and Kore ([[Persephone]]) and the other for [[Triptolemus]]. There was a bronze statue of a bull in front of the latter.<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''[https://www.theoi.com/Text/Pausanias1A.html Description of Greece]'' 1.14.1-3</ref> Pausanias says that he was forbidden from discussing the contents of the sanctuary in detail by a dream and says nothing about the temple of Demeter and Kore, but does describe the temple of Triptolemus. This seems to indicate that the sanctuary consisted of an inner, holier section containing the former temple and an outer, less holy section containing Triptolemus' temple.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=49-51}}

Other sources refer to an altar,<ref>Andocides 1.112</ref> a source of purifying water,<ref>Lysias, 6 (''Against Andocides'') 52</ref> a shrine called the Tomb of [[Immaradus]],<ref>[[Clement of Alexandria]], ''Protrepticus'' 3.45</ref> and a Ploutonion.<ref>''[[Inscriptiones graecae|IG]]'' II<sup>2</sup> 1672, line 168ff.</ref>

===Overview of archaeological remains===
The sanctuary consists of an upper area and three terraces, descending down the slope from south to north. The original sanctuary consisted of only section II and the upper terrace, but it was later expanded to incorporate the middle terrace. It is unclear whether the lower terrace was actually part of the sanctuary.
;Section II 
The upper (southernmost) area is "Section II", a steep slope, located outside the [[peribolos]] wall, but apparently part of the original sanctuary area, since archaeological evidence reveals votive deposits. There is also a circular building of Hellenistic date.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=13-14}} A vaulted branch of the aqueduct of [[Hadrian]], built in the mid-2nd century AD, runs along the north side of the section, ultimately feeding into the [[nymphaeum]] in the southeast of the Agora.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=76, 79}} To the south of that was a narrow Roman road, which led to a gate in the Post-Herulian wall.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=79}} 
;Upper terrace
The upper terrace, formed by a flat section of bedrock was the original core of the sanctuary.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=14}} It contains a "rocky outcrop" at the western edge, which is 2 metres wide, 3 metres long and rises above the surrounding area. Such outcrops were often important in cults of Demeter throughout the Greek world.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=20-21}} The area is enclosed by a [[polygonal]] limestone wall ("the Archaic [[peribolos]]"), built around 575-550 BC.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=25-26}} It varied between 0.9 and 1.15 metres in thickness at the base; the whole 22 metre-long stretch is preserved on the western side; the foundation trench and shorter stretches are preserved on the northern and southern sides for 26 and 28 metres respectively. The eastern wall has not been uncovered.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=25}} The original entrance to the precinct was on the south side, 3 metres from the western end, opening onto "Section II".{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=25}} A second entrance was built on the same wall, 20 metres to the east, in the period 350-325 BC, possibly part of the construction work of 329/8 BC.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=61}} In the Hellenistic period, the south peribolos wall was demolished and the South Stoa was built over the top of it, separating the upper terrace from "Section II" and sealing both entrances.A propylon (gateway) was built into the peribolos wall on the west side, near the southern end, at the same time as the South Stoa was built, and served as the main entrance to the Eleusinion thereafter.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=25}} The north edge was of the upper terrace was formed by a retaining wall 6.8 metres north of the Stoa, which was demolished in the 4th century AD.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=78}} 
;Middle terrace
The middle terrace was added to the sanctuary at the end of the 6th century, doubling the size of the sanctuary.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=28-29}} The temple of Triptolemus stood here, with its entrance facing onto the edge of the upper stoa.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=28-29, 58}} The area was surrounded by the "early 5th-century peribolos wall," which is preserved in small stretches on the west and north. It is made of limestone and was 1.10 metres wide. The northern wall has been revealed for a length of 28 metres. The western wall was 21 metres long and continues the archaic peribolos. The northern and western parts of the peribolos were covered over by a massive retaining wall in the 4th century BC.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=30-31, 59-60}} It may have supported a platform for viewing the Panathenaic procession.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=60}} There were steps on the outer west face of this retaining wall for inscribed stelae.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=60}} A 0.8 metre-wide dividing wall runs north–south to the east of the temple, diving the it off from the inner sanctuary.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=30-31}} 
;Lower terrace
The lower terrace, originally a marsh, was created at the end of the 6th century BC with the rubble from clearing the middle terrace of houses.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=33}} It was outside the peribolos wall of the Eleusinion and it is unclear whether it was part of the sanctuary.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=87-88}} A 6-meter-long east–west wall at the western end of this terrace, just north of the retaining wall, was built in the fourth century BC, it may have been the peribolos for a small adjunct shrine, of which no trace now remains.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=60}} In the 1st century AD, the area was flattened and a complex was built on the western edge of the terrace, consisting of four rooms, three bases for monuments or altars, and an offering table.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=87}} This complex may have been a workshop, a separate sanctuary, or - most likely - a set of storerooms for the Eleusinion's grain supply.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=87-88}} The northern edge of the lower terrace was bound by an east–west street from the 6th century BC until the Ottoman period.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=87}} Abutting this street and the Panathenaic Way, in the northwest corner of the sanctuary, was a small precinct, probably for [[Hecate]].{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=87-88}}

===Temple of Triptolemus===
[[File:Temple of Athena Nikè from Propylaea, Acropolis, Athens, Greece.jpg|thumb|The [[Temple of Athena Nike]], an Ionic tetrastyle amphiprostyle temple, similar to Margaret Miles' reconstruction of the Temple of Triptolemus in the City Eleusinion.]]
The temple faces north–south and is 17.813 m long and 11.065 metres wide.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=35}} The entrance was at the south end (i.e. opening onto the upper terrace). Traces of the foundation and roof have been found; nothing from the superstructure survives,{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=40}} but it was probably made of marble, like the roof.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=44}} Margaret Miles proposes that the dimensions and materials indicate that it was an [[Ionic order|Ionic]] [[tetrastyle]] [[amphiprostyle]] temple, i.e. with four Ionic columns at the north and south ends. This is the same design used for the later [[Temple of Athena Nike]] on the Acropolis.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=44-45}} The columns would have been about 1.10 m in diameter at the base.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=48}} Construction began on the temple between 500 and 490 BC, as shown by pottery evidence from the foundations. The remnants of the roof seem to date to 475-450 BC.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=39-40}} This date coincides with the proliferation of images of Triptolemus in Athenian art.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=53}} The chief of works may have been [[Coroebus]], who also oversaw the construction of the 5th century Telesterion at Eleusis.<ref>[[Inscriptiones Graecae|IG]] I<sup>3</sup> 32</ref>{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=41-42}}

The foundations are made of gray kara [[limestone]], but yellow [[poros]] and limestone from the Acropolis were also used in the walls.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=35}} Because of the steepness of the slope, the south end of the temple sits directly on the bedrock, while the north end required ten courses of masonry.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=39}} The cuttings in the bedrock for the temple's foundations are still visible on the western side.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=35}} The foundations were built of high-quality [[polygonal]] masonry, without clamps or dowels.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=35}} The foundation blocks survive for the whole north side and parts of the western and eastern sides.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=36}} The foundations of the cross-wall that separated the [[pronaos]] from the [[cella]] are partially preserved.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=36}} An extension was added to the east side of the temple during construction, which measures 2.20-2.355 m wide and is composed of red crystalline blocks originally cut for use in some other context.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=36}} The addition may have been made so that the width:length ratio of the temple would be closer to the [[golden ratio]], which became popular in temple construction at this time.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=38}}

The remains of the roof consist of 88 fragments from marble tiles (30 cover tiles, 58 pan tiles, 1 end ridge tile) and 4 marble [[antefix]]es. The workmanship is of a very high standard.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=40}} The palmettes of the antefixes resemble the archaic [[Telesterion]] at Eleusis (510-500 BC), and especially those from the roofs of the treasuries in the sanctuary of Apollo at [[Delos]] (478-450 BC).{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=40}} 
[[File:Triptolemos Kore Louvre G452 full.jpg|thumb|Depiction of [[Triptolemus]] and [[Persephone|Kore]] on a mid-5th century BC Attic red-figure cup.]]
The archaeological remains are identified as the temple of Triptolemus mentioned by Pausanias because his account indicates that it was in the outer part of the sanctuary and archaeology shows that the entrance to the Eleusinion in his time was through the propylon next to this temple.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=48-51}} In mythology, Triptolemus was the first human to receive the gifts of farming and initiation into the Eleusinian Mysteries from Demeter. He then rode around the world in a winged chariot, informing all people of these gifts.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=53}}

Pausanias states that there was a statue of Triptolemus inside the temple. This has not been discovered archaeologically, but is probably one of the symbols depicted on fourth-century BC [[Panathenaic amphora]]e. There are examples from 364/3 onwards showing the statue standing in a winged chariot holding a branch, with a snake next to the chariots wheels. {{sfn|Miles|1998|p=52}} Pausanias also mentions statues of the semi-legendary seer [[Epimenides]] and of a bull in front of this temple. The latter probably depicted the bull with gilded horns which was the standard sacrificial offering for Triptolemus according to the late fifth-century [[First-Fruits decree]].<ref>
''I Eleusis'' 28a; [https://www.atticinscriptions.com/inscription/IEleus/28a translation] on ''Attic Inscriptions Online''.</ref>{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=52}} To the east of the temple, there are the limestone foundations of altar (1.10 x 2.70 metres), probably built in ca. 500 BC.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=62-63}} East of this is a 2.20 metre long monument base of yellow poros, running east–west, which was built in the period 450-425 BC; it seems to have been intended to support a set of inscribed stelae (no longer present).{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=63}}

===Outer propylon===
A propylon (gateway) was built into the peribolos wall on the west side, near the southern end, in the 2nd century BC, opening onto the Panathenaic Way. It served as the main entrance to the Eleusinion thereafter.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=71-72}} It was a porch, with an H-shaped ground plan, i.e. two walls perpendicular to the peribolos wall which supported a roof, and a cross-wall between them, containing the actual doors.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=73-74}}

The foundations are consist of poros, conglomerate, and marble blocks - many of them reused - set directly into the bedrock.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=72}} In the centre, the foundations were covered over by [[Hymettos|Hymettan marble]] pavers, some of which survive. The date of construction is indicated by pottery sherds found in the packing of the foundations and by parallels with other Athenian structures of similar date.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=74-75}} It precedes cuttings made into the bedrock to the west in order to lower and pave the Panathenaic Way in the first and second centuries AD.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=75}}

The propylon was incorporated into the Post-Herulian Wall in the late third century AD.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=72}}

===South Stoa===
The South Stoa was added on the south side of the upper terrace in the second century BC, replacing the archaic peribolos.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=76, 79-80}} This stoa provided a sheltered area facing the temple of Triptolemus, which was used for dedications and for visitors to the sanctuary.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=75}} It measures 8.90 metres from north–south. The excavated portion is 25.40 metres long, but the stoa continued further east into the unexcavated area.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=76}} Fragments from the superstructure indicate that the steps were made of Hymettan marble, while the columns and entablature were [[Pentelic marble]]. The columns were roughly three metres apart and were probably [[Doric order|Doric]].{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=77-78}} It was probably only one story high, but this is not certain.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=78}} A set of diamond and oval lattice window frames might come from a second-story balustrade or from the western and eastern walls.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=78}} At the east end, the back wall is preserved to a height of 2.75 metres.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=76}} The interior floor was a layer of beaten earth, which slowly wore away until visitors were walking directly on the bedrock.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=78}}

Three phases of construction are attested in the back (south) wall. In the first, preserved for the western 18.5 metres, the foundation was built from regular yellow poros [[orthostate]]s (0.65 metres high, 1.15 metres long, 0.42 metres thick), connected together with wooden clamps, and topped by dressed masonry. A second-century BC date for this initial phase is indicated by pottery in the fill of the foundations and by the absence of [[Mortar (masonry)|mortar]].{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=76, 79-80}} In the second stage, in the late Roman period, the orthostates were patched using irregular limestone blocks topped brick and mortar (preserved in the eastern portion).{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=76}} Finally, in Byzantine times, the wall was patched again with brick and stone, serving as a wall for later structures.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=76}} At the north side of the stoa, a 1.5 metre wide cutting runs the whole length of the stoa. Conglomerate blocks sat in this cutting supported the front steps and columns.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=77}} The short western exterior wall had bases for mounting inscriptions, which could be read by passers-by on the Panathenaic Way.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=77}}

Destruct debris shows that the stoa went out of use in the late fourth century. By the 6th century, parts of its structure had been incorporated into new buildings and a ramp had been built through the back wall to allow access to the east–west road behind it.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=80}}

===Circular building===
A circular building was constructed 17.2 metres south of the South Stoa in Section II. It is known from a circular cutting in the bedrock and part of a poros wall, preserved to a height of 0.52 metres. The bedrock around the structure was smoothed down to create a flat area. The cutting indicates that it had a diameter of 7.75-8.00 metres, but the blocks of the wall come from an Archaic or Classical structure which was also circular, but larger, with a diameter of about 19 metres. This earlier structure must have been located somewhere else.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=81}}

The floor was packed clay and at the exact centre of the room, a 1.35 metre wide [[millstone]] was set in the floor.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=81}} There are no internal supports for a roof, so it may have been a simple flat structure of timber.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=82}}

Remains of at least five altars were found nearby, confirming that the building served a religious function.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=81}} Margaret Miles suggests that it was used for ritual dining. This is supported by the discovery of large amounts of cooking ware in the area. A well on the east side of the building may have been connected with this function.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=81-83}} In particular, the circular building may have been linked with meals held in honour of Plouton, who is known to have had a shrine in the City Eleusinion.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=83}} It may also have been connected with the Thesmophoria.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=83}}

The structure was built in the 2nd century BC, as shown by pottery from the fill of the foundations. Fills from the northwestern and eastern sections show it was dismantled and rebuilt with the same plan but a new floor around AD 100, probably in connection with a new drainage system, which closed the eastern well. A final set of fills show that it was partially dismantled in the late 2nd or 3rd centuries AD.{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=82-83}}

===Inner propylon===
[[File:Relief of crosses at Panagia Gorgoepikoos on February 16, 2022.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Part of the Doric frieze from the Inner propylon, reused above a side-entrance to the [[Little Metropolis]].]]
The inner propylon, built in the mid-second century AD, was a monumental gateway leading from the outer sanctuary (the excavated area, centring on the Temple of Triptolemus) to the inner sanctuary centring on the Temple of Demeter and Kore, which was closed to non-initiates. The foundations of this structure have not been excavated, but fragments of the masonry and sculpture have been found in the excavations and reused in the [[Little Metropolis]].{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=89-91}}

The fragments closely parallel those from the inner propylon of the sanctuary at Eleusis, which provides the basis for a reconstruction.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=89}} The main sculptural fragments are two caryatids, which would have stood on the inner side of the gate, supporting a porch.{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=90}} A Doric frieze on the outside of the gate consisted of [[metope]]s and [[triglyph]]s with Eleusinian symbols ([[poppy|poppies]], [[myrtus|myrtle]], [[plemochoe|plemochoae]], [[Patera|phialae]], [[bucrania]]).{{sfn|Miles|1998|pp=89-90}} Parallels between structures at Eleusis and in the city of Athens are typical of those constructed under Hadrian, part of "an imperial Athenianisation of Eleusis."{{sfn|Miles|1998|p=91}}{{sfn|Clinton|1997|p=175}}