Bronze Age Eleusis and the Origins of the Eleusinian Mysteries

by Michael B. Cosmopoulos

For more than one thousand years, people from every corner of the Greco-Roman world sought the hope for a blessed afterlife through initiation into the Mysteries of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis. In antiquity itself and in our memory of antiquity, the Eleusinian Mysteries stand out as the oldest and most venerable mystery cult. Despite the tremendous popularity of the Eleusinian Mysteries, their origins are unknown. Because they are lost in an era without written records, they can only be reconstructed with the help of archaeology. This book provides a much-needed synthesis of the archaeology of Eleusis during the Bronze Age and reconstructs the formation and early development of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The discussion of the origins of the Eleusinian Mysteries is complemented with discussions of the theology of Demeter and an update on the state of research in the archaeology of Eleusis from the Bronze Age to the end of antiquity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion

245 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2015

Reviews

[Rob Marshall]

An excellent and really interesting book for any who study Bronze Age Mediterranean religious sites, rituals and beliefs. Expensive, however!

[Ella]

An utterly fascinating exploration of the origins of Eleusis. It earned my deep respect for outright just saying you don’t need to be high to have a profound religious experience, which is something that many pop authors on Eleusis do not seem to have yet learned. Also, I just love the Bronze Age (and chthonic goddesses).

[Angharad]

ESSENTIAL reading for understanding Demeter's Eleusinian Mystery cult! I read this entire book in an afternoon.