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Rock-cut platform (reconstruction) John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Sacred Way after the Lesser Propylaea (plan) John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Panorama of the ruins of Eleusis Anonymous Rijksmuseum © Rijksmuseum / Public domain
Upon passing the Lesser Propylaea, pilgrims found themselves on the Processional Road, an extension of the Sacred Way. This pathway led them to the Telesterion, Demeter’s principal sanctuary, signifying the final leg of their journey to the hallowed grounds of the mysteries.
As they went up towards the Telesterion, the mystai encountered the carved rock platform, offering a vantage point for viewing ceremonies outside the temple. Nearby, to the south, stood a temple presumably dedicated to Hecate. Further in the same direction, worshippers could leave monetary gifts in a hollow within a large rock, serving as a sort of treasury. Progressing along, they could see to their right the western facade of Temple F, with a pediment copying the sculptures of Parthenon’s western pediment. Unlike the Parthenon’s depiction of Athena and Poseidon’s conflict over Attica, the Eleusinian version adapted this theme to illustrate Persephone’s abduction by Pluto.
The road was lined with altars, pedestals bearing statues and various votive offerings, some of which remain today. Also visible are some sections of the marble slabs that formed the road’s paving during the Roman era, undoubtedly postdating the Lesser Propylaea’s construction and likely laid in the 2nd century CE.
