Telesterion at Eleusis

E96004
initiation hall religious building sanctuary

The Telesterion at Eleusis was the great initiation hall and central sanctuary of the Eleusinian Mysteries, one of ancient Greece’s most important religious cult centers.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (5)

Surface form Occurrences
Telesterion 2
Sanctuary of Demeter 1
Sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis 1

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf initiation hall ⓘ
religious building ⓘ
sanctuary ⓘ
accessedFrom Sacred Way between Athens and Eleusis ⓘ
surface form: Sacred Way from Athens
AnaktoronUsedFor keeping sacred objects of the Mysteries ⓘ
archaeologicalSite ruins at Eleusis ⓘ
architectAssociatedWith Ictinus ⓘ
associatedDeities Demeter ⓘ
Persephone ⓘ
associatedMyth myth of Demeter and Persephone ⓘ
associatedRitual Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
surface form: Greater Eleusinian Mysteries

Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
surface form: Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries
capacity several thousand initiates ⓘ
closedUnder Christian emperors of the Roman Empire ⓘ
contains Anaktoron ⓘ
culture Ancient Greek religion ⓘ
damagedBy Heruli raid of 267 CE ⓘ
dedicatedTo Demeter ⓘ
Persephone ⓘ
destroyedBy Greco-Persian Wars ⓘ
surface form: Persian invasion of 480–479 BCE
excavatedBy Archaeological Society at Athens ⓘ
surface form: Greek Archaeological Society
feature central hall without internal columns in some phases ⓘ
internal seating tiers ⓘ
multiple entrances ⓘ
roof supported by interior columns in later phases ⓘ
finalDestruction late 4th century CE ⓘ
heritageStatus important monument of ancient Greek religion ⓘ
inUseUntil late Roman Empire ⓘ
languageOfName Ancient Greek ⓘ
laterRebuiltBy Athenians ⓘ
locatedIn Attica ⓘ
Eleusis ⓘ
Greece ⓘ
nameMeaning place of completion or initiation ⓘ
near Saronic Gulf NERFINISHED ⓘ
partOf Telesterion at Eleusis self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis
period Classical Greece ⓘ
rebuiltDuring age of Pericles ⓘ
rebuiltUnder Pericles ⓘ
religiousFunction initiation of mystai ⓘ
performance of sacred acts (dromena) ⓘ
recitation of sacred words (legomena) ⓘ
revelation of sacred things (deiknymena) ⓘ
shape rectangular hall ⓘ
significance central sanctuary of the Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
one of the most important cult centers in ancient Greece ⓘ
usedFor Eleusinian Mysteries ⓘ
religious initiation ⓘ
secret rites ⓘ

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ictinus → designed → Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
this entity surface form: Telesterion (initiation hall) at Eleusis
Eleusinian Mysteries → hadInnerSanctum → Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
this entity surface form: Telesterion
Eleusis → hasSanctuary → Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sanctuary of Demeter
Eleusis → hasStructure → Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
this entity surface form: Telesterion
Eleusinian Mysteries → mainSanctuary → Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
this entity surface form: Sanctuary of Demeter at Eleusis
Ictinus → notableWork → Telesterion at Eleusis ⓘ
Telesterion at Eleusis → partOf → Telesterion at Eleusis self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis