Eleusis and the Eleusinian Mysteries

by George Emmanuel Mylonas

The most famous conspiracy of silence in the history of antiquity is examined here by one of the three archaeologists entrusted by the Archaeological Society of Athens with the final excavations of the Sanctuary. He traces the history of the cult in the archaeological remains, from the first traces of habitation at the site in the Middle Bronze Age (around 1900 B.C.) to its final grandeur and decay in Imperial Roman times.

A guided tour of the Museum at Eleusis, illustrated with photographs of objects in the Museum, as well as air views, plans, and detailed photographs of the ruins closely correlated with the text, takes into account the needs of the visitor at the site as well as the reader at home.

Originally published in 1961.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Greece, Mythology

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough introduction to Eleusis, the site and the Mysteries, based on both the archeological and textual evidences as known by 1961, the time of composition.

Ever interested in the existential bases of religions, I had hoped for more about the kykeon, the sacred substance ingested by the participants--apparently a psychotropic, possibly containing mushrooms. It is mentioned, but no firm conclusions are drawn. One whould think, however, that some record of the cultivation/collection of the agent would have survived. The event would have required quite a lot of it.

Interestingly, the Christian Scriptures make a reference to something at the very core of the celebration when Jesus is cited as saying that the seed must die in order to be reborn. Of course, this was a commonplace at the time as witness the rites of Attis, the celebrations of the Tammuz gardens and so on.

[kamila gutierrez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a research paper. Super nice and concise for an academic read! I loved how Mylonas talked about the mysteries as satisfying the longings of the human heart, definitely a sentiment I am going to try and incorporate into my paper somehow.

[Sand Rougelune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pas tout à fait à l'ordre du jour niveaux recherches, mais ce livre ecrit par l'archéologue lui même est une pépite de connaissances et de theories sur le site lui même et son histoire.
Heureuse de l'avoir dans ma bibliothèque d'Histoire, et Archéologie.

[Alexander Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read the entire book. What I was primarily looking for was a day by day breakdown of what happened during the mysteries to the best of our knowledge, and this book provides just that. Myloans goes day by day through the initiation. Of course, the inner secrets were kept hidden, but at least this book presents outward forms and rituals.