Location: 22 km (14 mi) Northwest of Athens
Found: around 1700 BC
Tel. 210 554 6019
Open: 8:30am- 3pm Tue- Sun
Closed: public holidays
Most famous for Eleusian Mysteries
Eleusis Archaeological site located 22 km (14 mi) Northwest of
Athens. For among the many excellent and indeed divine institutions
which your Athens has brought forth and contributed to human life,
none, in my opinion, is better than those mysteries. For by their
means we have been brought out of our barbarous and savage mode of
life and educated and refined to a state of civilization; and as the
rites are called "initiations," so in very truth we have learned
from them the beginnings of life, and have gained the power not only
to live happily, but also to die with a better hope.
Cicero, Laws II, xiv, 36
History
Ancient times
In ancient times,
Eleusis was for 2,000 years (1600 BC - 400 AD) one of the five
sacred cities, with the Eleusinian Mysteries attracting pilgrims
from all over the then known world. The name of the city became even
better known thanks to the great tragic poet Aeschylus. 14 centuries
followed during which Eleusis fell into obscurity.
It is
indicative that writers of the Byzantine era refer to it as a "small
village", while shortly before the Turkish occupation the area was
deserted by wars, raids and captives. At this time it was colonized
by Arvanites. European travelers during the Ottoman rule describe
Eleusis as having few inhabitants and many ancient ruins.
Modern Times
In 1827, after the liberation from the Turks and the
creation of the first Greek state, Elefsina was a small town of 250
inhabitants, of Albanian origin. In the 1860s, Eleusis began to
change its appearance with the construction of new houses and the
installation of occasional merchants. Its slow course was
accelerated by the construction of the railway line (1884) and the
intersection of the Isthmus of Corinth. The decisive year is the
1880s, when industrial development began. The Charilaou Soap Factory
(1875), the Titan Cement Industry (1902), the Votrys (1906) and
Kronos (1922) distilleries were founded.
Many families of
Asia Minor settled in Elefsina after the Asia Minor Catastrophe of
1922 and created the settlement of Ano Elefsina, doubling its total
population and enriching the region culturally and economically.
During the German occupation (1941-1945) strong resistance
developed inside the city, in the factories and at the military
airport. After the Second World War, workers from all parts of
Greece moved to Elefsina to work in the industries of the region.
The industrial activity, however, developed anarchically on the
antiquities and next to the residential area. Environmental
pollution has become widespread. In the 21st century, the era of
sustainable development, archaeological history and recent industry
have shaped the image of modern Eleusis. Pollution has also been
reduced thanks to citizens' struggles.
In 1962, a large house
of priests from Roman times was discovered in Eleusis.