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A votive plaque known as the Ninnion Tablet depicting elements of the Eleusinian Mysteries, discovered in the sanctuary at Eleusis (mid-4th century BC). The Eleusinian Mysteries (Greek: Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια, romanized: Eleusínia Mystḗria) were initiations held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at the Panhellenic Sanctuary of Eleusis in ancient Greece.
The relief is made of Pentelic marble, and it is 2,20 m. tall, 1,52 m. wide, and 15 cm thick. [4] It depicts the three most important figures of the Eleusianian Mysteries; the goddess of agriculture and abundance Demeter, her daughter Persephone queen of the Underworld and the Eleusinian hero Triptolemus, the son of Queen Metanira, [3] [4] in what appears to be a rite. [1]
The Thesmophoria (Ancient Greek: Θεσμοφόρια) was an ancient Greek religious festival, held in honor of the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone.It was held annually, mostly around the time that seeds were sown in late autumn – though in some places it was associated with the harvest instead – and celebrated human and agricultural fertility.
As hierophants, they popularized the cult and allowed many more to be initiated into the secrets of Demeter and Persephone. [ 1 ] The legendary genealogy of the Eumolpidae cast them as descendants of Eumolpus , one of the first priests of Demeter at Eleusis, through his second son, Herald-Keryx .
The kykeon was the sacred drink used during initiation into Demeter and Persephone's cult. [1] The two priestesses wear two tunics each, which are secured on their breast with diagonally crossing straps; their chest is further decorated with a gorgoneion brooch. Saint Demetra's face, which is no longer preserved, was inclined to the left, as ...
Receiving this group are the deities Demeter and Persephone. Above the artifact's main scene are multiple representations of The Moon . The Ninnion Tablet is the only known original representation of the Mysteries' initiation rites.
The Eleusinian Mysteries hydria from Capua is a 4th-century BCE ancient Greek red-figure hydria, showing the reunion of Demeter and Persephone at the start of each spring. It was used to celebrate the Eleusinian Mysteries and the rebirth of nature in the secret cult of the two goddesses. [1]
The sacred rites of Demeter were performed in Eleusis in Ancient Greece beginning as far back as the 15th Century BCE, according to some sources. [1] According to the Homeric Hymns of the Archaic period, Demeter stopped at Eleusis during her quest for Persephone. [2]