Elefsina Ελευσίνα | |
|---|---|
%2c_center_for_the_Eleusinian_Mysteries%2c_Eleusis_(8191841684).jpg) View over the excavation site towards Elefsina. | |
  Elefsina Location within the region  | |
| Coordinates:38°2′N23°32′E / 38.033°N 23.533°E /38.033; 23.533 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Attica |
| Regional unit | West Attica |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Georgios Georgopoulos[1] (since 2023) |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 36.589 km2 (14.127 sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 18.455 km2 (7.126 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2021)[2] | |
• Municipality | 30,147 |
| • Density | 820/km2 (2,100/sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 24,971 |
| • Municipal unit density | 1,400/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 192 00 |
| Area code(s) | 210 |
| Vehicle registration | YP, YT |
| Website | elefsina |
Elefsina (Greek:Ελευσίνα,romanized: Elefsína) orEleusis (/ɪˈljuːsɪs/ih-LEW-siss;[3]Ancient Greek:Ἐλευσίς,romanized: Eleusís) is a suburban city andmunicipality in Athens metropolitan area. It belongs toWest Attica regional unit ofGreece. It is located in theThriasio Plain, at the northernmost end of theSaronic Gulf. North of Elefsina areMandra andMagoula, whileAspropyrgos is to the northeast.
It is the site of theEleusinian Mysteries and the birthplace ofAeschylus. Today, Elefsina is a major industrial centre, with the largest oil refinery in Greece as well as the home of theAeschylia Festival, the longest-lived arts event in the Attica Region. On 11 November 2016, Elefsina was named theEuropean Capital of Culture for 2021, which became effective in 2023 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic postponement.
The wordEleusis first appears in theOrphic Hymn to EleusinianDemeter: «Δήμητρος Ελευσινίας, θυμίαμα στύρακα[4]». AlsoHesychius of Alexandria reports that the older name for Eleusis was Saesara (Σαισάρια). Saesara was the mythic daughter ofCeleus (king of Eleusis whenDemeter arrived for the first time) and granddaughter of Eleusinus, the first settler of Eleusis.[5]
The municipality of Elefsina was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following two former municipalities, that became municipal units:[6]
The municipality has an area of 36.589 km2 (14.127 sq mi), and the municipal unit has an area of 18.455 km2 (7.126 sq mi).[7]
.jpg)
Eleusis was ademe ofancient Attica, belonging to thephyleHippothoöntis. It owed its celebrity to its being the chief seat of the worship ofDemeter andPersephone, and to the mysteries celebrated in honour of these goddesses, which were called theEleusinia, and continued to be regarded as the most sacred of all the Grecian mysteries down to the fall of paganism.
Eleusis stood upon a height at a short distance from the sea, and opposite the island ofSalamis.[8] Its situation possessed three natural advantages. It was on the road fromAthens to theIsthmus of Corinth; it was in a very fertile plain; and it was at the head of an extensive bay, formed on three sides by the coast of Attica, and shut in on the south by the island of Salamis. The town itself dates from the most ancient times.
The caves on the coast of Eleusis are home to a mythological place for the Greek world. There is a cave said to be the very spot where Persephone was abducted by Hades himself and the cave was considered a gateway to Tartarus. At the spot of this abduction was a sanctuary (Ploutonion) dedicated to Hades and Persephone.[9]
The Rharian plain is also mentioned in theHomeric Hymn to Artemis;[10] it appears to have been in the neighbourhood of the city; but its site cannot be determined.
It appears to have derived its name from the supposed advent (ἔλευσις) of Demeter, though some traced its name from an eponymous hero Eleusis.[11] It was one of the 12 independent states into which Attica was said to have been originally divided.[12]
"When Athens had only just become Athens, it went to war with another city built thirteen miles away: Eleusis,"Roberto Calasso wrote of the ancient provenance of the relationship between temple-city and theAttic seat of power.[13] "It was a war usually described as mythical, since it has no date. And it was a theological war, since Athens belonged toAthena and Eleusis toPoseidon.Eumolpus andErechtheus, the founding kings of the two cities, both died in it."[13]
It is related that in the reign ofEumolpus, king of Eleusis, andErechtheus, king of Athens, there was a war between the two states, in which the Eleusinians were defeated, whereupon they agreed to acknowledge the supremacy of Athens in everything except the celebration of the mysteries, of which they were to continue to have the management.[14][15] Eleusis afterwards became an Attic deme, but in consequence of its sacred character it was allowed to retain the title ofpolis (πόλις)[16][11] and to coin its own money, a privilege possessed by no other town in Attica, except Athens. The history of Eleusis is part of the history of Athens. Once a year the great Eleusinian procession travelled from Athens to Eleusis, along theSacred Way.
_from_Eleusis_at_the_National_Archaeological_Museum_of_Athens_on_15_September_2018.jpg)
.jpg)
Eleusis was the site of theEleusinian Mysteries, or the Mysteries ofDemeter andKore, which became popular in the Greek-speaking world as early as 600 BC, and attracted initiates during Roman Empire before declining mid-late 4th century AD.[17] These Mysteries revolved around a belief that there was a hope for life after death for those who were initiated. Such a belief was cultivated from the introduction ceremony in which the hopeful initiates were shown a number of things including the seed of life in a stalk of grain. The centralmyth of the Mysteries was Demeter's quest for her lost daughter (Kore the Maiden, orPersephone) who had been abducted byHades. It was here that Demeter, disguised as an old lady who was abducted by pirates inCrete, came to an old well where the four daughters of the local kingKeleos and his queenMetaneira (Kallidike,Kleisidike,Demo andKallithoe) found her and took her to their palace to nurse the son of Keleos and Metaneira,Demophoon. Demeter raised Demophoon, anointing him with nectar and ambrosia and placing him at night in the fire in order to endow him with immortality, until Metaneira found out and insulted her. Demeter arose insulted, and casting off her disguise, and, in all her glory, instructed Meteneira to build a temple to her. Keleos, informed the next morning by Metaneira, ordered the citizens to build a rich shrine to Demeter, where she sat in her temple until the lot of the world prayed toZeus to make the world provide food again.
The Great Eleusian relief which was famous in antiquity and was copied in the Roman period, is the largest and most important votive relief found and dates to 440-430 BC. It represents the Eleusinian deities in a scene depicting a mysterious ritual. On the left Demeter, clad in apeplos and holding a sceptre in her left hand, offers ears of wheat to Triptolemos, son of Eleusinian king Keleos, to bestow on mankind. On the right Persephone, clad in chiton and mantle and holding a torch, blesses Triptolemos with her right hand. The original marble relief was found at the sanctuary of Demeter, the site of the Eleusinian mysteries. A number of Roman copies also survive.[18]
During theGreco-Persian Wars, the ancient temple of Demeter was burnt down by thePersians in 484 BC;[19] and it was not until the administration ofPericles that an attempt was made to rebuild it. When the power of theThirty Tyrants was overthrown after thePeloponnesian War, they retired to Eleusis, which they had secured beforehand, but where they maintained themselves for only a short time.[20]
The town of Eleusis and its immediate neighbourhood were exposed to inundations from the riverCephissus, which, though almost dry during the greater part of the year, is sometimes swollen to such an extent as to spread itself over a large part of the plain.Demosthenes (384 – 322 BC) alludes to inundations at Eleusis;[21]
Pausanias (c. 110 – c. 180 AD) has left us only a very brief description of Eleusis;[22]
The Eleusinians have a temple ofTriptolemus, another ofArtemis Propylaea, and a third ofPoseidon the Father, and a well called Callichorum, where the Eleusinian women first instituted a dance and sang in honour of the goddess. They say that the Rharian plain was the first place in which corn was sown and first produced a harvest, and that hence barley from this plain is employed for making sacrificial cakes. There the so-called threshing-floor and altar of Triptolemus are shown. The things within the wall of the Hierum [i.e., the temple of Demeter] a dream forbade me to describe.
Under theRomans Eleusis enjoyed great prosperity, as initiation into its mysteries became fashionable among the Roman nobles.
Hadrian was initiated into the Mysteries in about 125[23] and raised embankments in the plain of the river in consequence of a flood which occurred while he was spending the winter at Athens.[24]
To the same emperor most likely Eleusis was indebted for a supply of good water by means of the aqueduct, completed in about 160 AD. Apart from satisfying the need for drinking water, it also enabled the construction of public fountains and baths. It was fed by springs in Mount Parnitha and used mainly underground tunnels. It crossed the Thriasian Plain and turned abruptly towards the south at the outskirts of Eleusis. The best visible remains are on the east side of Dimitros Street.
It was destroyed byAlaric I in 396 AD, and from that time disappears from history.
TheTelesterion, or temple of Demeter, was the largest in all Greece,[citation needed] and is described byStrabo as capable of containing as many persons as a theatre.[25] The building was initially designed byIctinus, the architect of theParthenon at Athens; but it was many years before it was completed, and the names of several architects are preserved who were employed in building it.
During its long history, the temple underwent subsequent building phases. Much of that visible today is of the Classical era (5th century BC). Its portico of 12 columns was added in the time ofDemetrius Phalereus, about 318 BC, by the architectPhilo.[25][26] When finished, it was considered one of the four finest examples of Grecian architecture in marble.
Modifications were also carried out in Roman times (2nd c. AD).
The Roman bridge that carried the ancient Sacred Way over theKephissus river is visible about 1 km from the Sanctuary of Demeter. The bridge is in very good condition and is an outstanding example of ancient bridge building. It consists of a central 30 m-long main bridge with 4 arches and 10 m-long sloping access on either side.
The Sacred Way was the main road from Athens and led to Demeter's sanctuary, and was also the road used by the procession every year of the celebration of the Great Mysteries escorting the sacred objects back to Eleusis. Its course is visible in some places and has been accurately traced by rescue excavations and ran parallel to its namesake in the modern city only a few metres to the south. Roadside cemeteries from different periods throughout antiquity are found next to it and prehistoric graves witness its existence by 1600 BC. During the Hellenistic and mainly Roman eras the road was used for the exhibition of wealth and social power, with costly burial monuments being erected all along it. The road was in use until at least the 6th century AD.
It is indicative that writers of theByzantine era refer to it as a "small village", and shortly before the Ottoman domination the area was deserted by wars, raids and captives. During this period was settled byArvanites. European travelers during theOttoman domination described Eleusis as having few inhabitants and many ancient ruins.
In 1829, after theGreek War of Independence, Elefsina was a small settlement of about 250 inhabitants. By the late 19th century Elefsina changed drastically as new buildings were erected by the new merchant settlers. Also during that period Eleusis became one of the main industrial centers of theModern Greek state with concrete factoryTITAN, Charilaou Soap Factory as well as the distilleries of Botrys and Kronos being established in the area.[27]
Arvanitika is still spoken in the village, with the locals qualifying their dialect more "noble" and "refined" than those of rural Arvanites.[28] Many Greek families ofAsia Minor settled in Elefsina after the1922 Asia Minor Catastrophe and created the settlement of Upper Elefsina, doubling its total population and enriching the region culturally and economically.[29]
During theAxis occupation of Greece (1941–1945), strong resistance developed within the city, the factories and the military airport, which once stationed Squadron 80, the squadron thatRoald Dahl[30] was assigned to in the RAF. AfterWorld War II, workers from all parts of Greece moved to Elefsina to work in the industries in the region. Industrial activity, however, developed anarchically on the antiquities and next to the residential area.
Environmental pollution has taken on large dimensions. During the 20th century, at the time of sustainable development, archaeological discoveries and industrial formation shaped the image of contemporary Eleusis.
In 1962, a large house of priests from theRoman era was discovered. Pollution thanks to citizens' struggles gradually has fallen.
Today, the city has become a suburb ofAthens, to which it is linked by theA6 motorway andGreek National Road 8. Eleusis is nowadays a major industrial area, and the place where the majority of crude oil in Greece is imported and refined. The largest refinery is located on the west side of town, right beside where the annual Aeschylia Festival is held in honor of the great tragic poet Aeschylus.
Elefsis Shipyards is located here.
There is amilitary airport a few kilometers east of Elefsina. Elefsina Airfield played a crucial role in the final British evacuation during the 1941Battle of Greece, as recounted byRoald Dahl in his autobiographyGoing Solo.
Elefsina is home to the football clubPanelefsiniakos F.C., and the basketball clubPanelefsiniakos B.C.
Established in 1975, the Aeschylia Festival in Eleusis in Western Attica is the currently the longest standing cultural event organized by anAttica Municipality. It is held annually at Palaio Elaiourgeio, a former soap factory by the seafront that functions as an open theatre. The festival usually begins at the end of August and runs through September. The event is organized in honor of theancient GreektragedianAeschylus, who was born in Eleusis, and derives its name from him. It includes stage productions, art exhibitions and installations, concerts, and dance events.
Elefsina has a hot-summerMediterranean climate (Csa), bordering on a hotsemi-arid climate (BSh) for the 1958-2010 period, according to the meteorological station operated by theHellenic National Meteorological Service. Elefsina is particularly hot during the summer, with an average July maximum of 33.2 °C (91.8 °F). According to Kassomenos and Katsoulis (2006), based on 12 years of data (1990–2001), the industrialization of westAttica, where at least 40% of the industrial activity of the country is concentrated, could be the cause of the warm climate of the zone.[31] On 4 June 2024 theWMO station in the port of Elefsina broke the record for the highest temperature ever recorded inGreece for the first 10 days of June from theNational Observatory of Athens network.[32]
| Climate data for Elefsina Port 10 m a.s.l. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) | 22.8 (73.0) | 25.8 (78.4) | 31.4 (88.5) | 37.4 (99.3) | 45.3 (113.5) | 44.8 (112.6) | 43.7 (110.7) | 38.4 (101.1) | 32.8 (91.0) | 29.1 (84.4) | 22.2 (72.0) | 45.3 (113.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.8 (56.8) | 15.5 (59.9) | 18.0 (64.4) | 22.2 (72.0) | 26.5 (79.7) | 31.4 (88.5) | 34.6 (94.3) | 34.1 (93.4) | 29.7 (85.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 20.1 (68.2) | 15.8 (60.4) | 23.9 (75.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 11.6 (52.9) | 13.7 (56.7) | 17.5 (63.5) | 21.8 (71.2) | 26.7 (80.1) | 30.0 (86.0) | 29.8 (85.6) | 25.5 (77.9) | 20.9 (69.6) | 16.6 (61.9) | 12.3 (54.1) | 19.7 (67.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 6.6 (43.9) | 7.7 (45.9) | 9.4 (48.9) | 12.8 (55.0) | 17.1 (62.8) | 21.9 (71.4) | 25.3 (77.5) | 25.5 (77.9) | 21.3 (70.3) | 17.0 (62.6) | 13.0 (55.4) | 8.8 (47.8) | 15.5 (59.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2.0 (28.4) | −1.1 (30.0) | 0.2 (32.4) | 4.6 (40.3) | 11.8 (53.2) | 14.7 (58.5) | 19.3 (66.7) | 19.7 (67.5) | 12.9 (55.2) | 8.3 (46.9) | 4.5 (40.1) | 0.6 (33.1) | −2.0 (28.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 60.4 (2.38) | 33.6 (1.32) | 24.6 (0.97) | 20.3 (0.80) | 19.4 (0.76) | 33.1 (1.30) | 11.1 (0.44) | 10.5 (0.41) | 32.3 (1.27) | 28.9 (1.14) | 65.6 (2.58) | 57.5 (2.26) | 397.3 (15.63) |
| Source:National Observatory of Athens Monthly Bulletins (Mar 2016-Apr 2024)[33][34] andWorld Meteorological Organization[35] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Elefsina, Greece (1958–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.1 (55.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 16.1 (61.0) | 20.2 (68.4) | 25.8 (78.4) | 30.7 (87.3) | 33.2 (91.8) | 32.9 (91.2) | 28.8 (83.8) | 23.3 (73.9) | 18.6 (65.5) | 14.6 (58.3) | 22.6 (72.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.6 (42.1) | 5.6 (42.1) | 7.3 (45.1) | 10.4 (50.7) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.7 (67.5) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.7 (72.9) | 19.0 (66.2) | 14.8 (58.6) | 10.6 (51.1) | 7.4 (45.3) | 13.4 (56.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 48.4 (1.91) | 37.6 (1.48) | 38.9 (1.53) | 26.0 (1.02) | 18.2 (0.72) | 8.0 (0.31) | 5.7 (0.22) | 5.0 (0.20) | 15.7 (0.62) | 47.3 (1.86) | 63.4 (2.50) | 62.9 (2.48) | 377.1 (14.85) |
| Source: Hellenic National Meteorological Service[36] | |||||||||||||
Until 2021, Elefsina was one of the areas in theAthens Metropolitan Area (the other one wasTatoi) which held the record of thehighest ever officially recorded temperature in Europe for 44 years with a reading of 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) on 10 July 1977.[37]
Elefsina has a general hospital the Thriassio General Hospital, located 3.9 km north of the city centre. Administratively, it belongs to the municipal unit ofMagoula. In addition, Elefsina has a health center which is located in the centre of the town.
| Year | Municipal unit | Municipality |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 20,320 | – |
| 1991 | 22,793 | – |
| 2001 | 25,863 | – |
| 2011 | 24,901 | 29,902 |
| 2021 | 24,971 | 30,147 |
Elefsina hosts the multi-sport clubPanelefsiniakos with successful sections in football and basketball. Another historical club of Elefsina isIraklis Eleusis, founded in 1928.
| Notable sport clubs based in Eleusis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Sports | Founded | Achievements |
| Iraklis Elefsinas | Football | 1928 | Earlier presence in Gamma Ethniki |
| Panelefsiniakos | Football | 1931 | Earlier presence in A Ethniki |
| Basketball | 1969 | Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki | |
| O.K.E. | Basketball | 1996 | |
Elefsina istwinned with:
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Eleusis".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
Places adjacent to Elefsina | |
|---|---|
Administrative divisions of theAttica Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofCentral Athens |  | |
| Regional unit ofNorth Athens | ||
| Regional unit ofWest Athens | ||
| Regional unit ofSouth Athens | ||
| Regional unit ofPiraeus | ||
| Regional unit ofEast Attica | ||
| Regional unit ofWest Attica | ||
| Regional unit ofIslands | ||
| ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
