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The Kallichoron Well Georgios Mylonas Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Kallichoron Well. Cross section. Demosthenes Ziro Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Kallichoron Well. Reconstruction of its building structure. Demosthenes Ziro Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Kallichoron Well. The orthostates and the side door. Demosthenes Ziro Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
The Kallichoron Well. Detail of the well-head rings with the double T-joints Demosthenes Ziro Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Ceres Seeking Proserpina Gerard de Lairesse The Philadelphia Museum of Art © The Philadelphia Museum of Art -
The prehistoric well B east of the Telesterion, the Kallichoron Well of the Homeric hymn to Demeter John Travlos Archaeological Society at Athens © Η εν Αθήναις Αρχαιολογική Εταιρεία -
Demeter in the house of Keleos (?) Jacques-Louis David Musée du Louvre © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée du Louvre) - Thierry Le Mage
The Kallichoron well holds a significant place in the myth of Demeter’s search for her daughter Persephone, who was taken by Pluto. Disguised as an elderly woman, after a tireless nine-day search, Demeter found respite under an olive tree near the Parthenion well, which served as Eleusis’s primary water source. The daughters of King Celeus, who came to draw water, unknowingly invited the goddess to their home. It was there that Demeter revealed her true form and commanded the establishment of a magnificent temple at the Kallichoron and on the adjacent hill, marking the sacredness of this location.
Originating from the late 6th century BCE and situated northeast of the Greater Propylaea, the well is six metres deep with an opening of 0.88 metres in diameter. Two rings of expertly cut Eleusinian stones, with eight in the lower one and four in the upper that are connected with double-T joints, encase the well’s mouth. Its interior is lined with Eleusinian limestone.
The site was initially surrounded by an arched wall with three open entrances and no roof. By the late 3rd century BCE, this wall was transformed into a parapet and later destroyed in the 3rd century CE. Subsequent modifications included adding two limestone doorways to the parapet, with one retaining its original position and the other now beneath the paved courtyard.
Throughout its history, every modification to the sanctuary took into consideration the sanctity of the Kallichoron. This reverence was evident during the rebuilding of the fortification walls and propylaea, where new constructions were adapted to the spring’s limits. Notable is the disruption of the lowest step of the Greater Propylaea’s eastern entrance during Marcus Aurelius’s reign, deliberately done to conserve the well’s sacred area. It is probable that a wooden gateway and staircase leading from the courtyard down to the well were also erected around the same time.
The Kallichoron well was the first sacred landmark encountered by the pilgrims arriving in procession from Athens to the Eleusinian sanctuary on the 19th of Boedromion. Thus, it functioned as a point of reference for both the mental and practical invocation of Demeter and the upcoming initiation of the uninitiated and ritual culmination for the initiates. Pausanias notes that at this well women engaged in ritual songs and ceremonial dances in honour of the goddess.
