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The Kerameikos Rijksmuseum © Rijksmuseum / Public domain -
The Sacred Way (cross section) John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Acropolis, from east to Hymettus, Aegaleos, and mountains of Megaris. Sacred way to Eleusis George Gissing The New York Public Library © The New York Public Library -
Eleusis Carl Rottmann Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München © Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen - Neue Pinakothek München -
Pass of Daphne. Bay of Eleusis. Library of Congress © Library of Congress -
Sacred way for Eleusis Boston Public Library © Boston Public Library -
Eleusis [The Sacred Way and Agios Zacharias] Sir William Gell The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum -
Bay of Salamis and Piraeus from Xerxes' seat William Simpson The British Museum © The Trustees of the British Museum
Despite its practical uses, the Sacred Way’s religious significance was paramount, leading the Athenians to invest heavily in its upkeep and enhancement for those participating in the Greater Mysteries. Dicaearchus of Messana, a Sicilian philosopher and geographer, extolled the Sacred Way, describing it as “a fine road, passing through land all under cultivation, quite pleasant to behold”.
Archaeological finds, namely tombs along the road, attest to its use since at least 1600 BCE, facilitating commerce and travel between Athens and Eleusis. The road gained further importance with the Athenian expansion into the Thriasian Plain and under the rule of Peisistratos, who linked the Demeter cult with Athens and added grandeur to the Mysteries. Thus, the Sacred Way was often included in construction projects, elevating the sanctuary from a local to a Pan-Hellenic religious site.
By the 6th century BCE, the Sacred Way’s route was well-established, averaging about 5.50 metres (18 feet) in width. The Athenians tailored construction techniques, pavement thickness, and stonework to the local terrain. Where the road crossed rocky areas, the rock itself formed the roadbed. In other parts, the foundation was laid with gravel, pebbles and small stones. The multiple surviving layers are a testament to the Athenians’ long-term commitment to maintaining the road. Bridges, whether wooden or stone, were constructed over areas like the Rheitoi lakes and the Eleusinian Cephissus to navigate over stagnant or flowing waters, and retaining walls from sizable stones were built to support the road.
Following their journey over the Cephissus bridge, the procession of the Greater Mysteries, comprising Iacchus, priests, devotees, and onlookers, made their way into Eleusis. They had traversed approximately twenty kilometres along the Sacred Way from Athens’ Kerameikos cemetery to the forecourt by Demeter’s Eleusinian sanctuary. Known officially as “η οδός η Ελευσινάδε” (the road to Eleusis), this route was a vital link in ancient Attica, serving both commercial and military purposes and connecting Athens to the Peloponnese and routes to Thebes, Phocis, and northern Greece.
