On Friday 23 March 2018, the Acropolis Museum will start new gallery talks about the temporary exhibition “Eleusis. The great mysteries”.
Every week, visitors have the opportunity to “travel” to ancient Eleusis and discover the connection of Eleusis, Athens and the Acropolis. Together with Museum Archaeologist-Hosts, visitors can walk through a gallery that has the form of the Eleusinian Telesterion and presents the most important artifacts brought to light by the archaeological excavation in Eleusis.
Useful information about gallery talks:
Greek: every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at 1 p.m.
English: every Sunday, at 11 a.m.
Duration: 45 minutes
Participation: For registration, please refer to the Information Desk at the Museum entrance on the same day. Limited number of visitors per session. First-in first-served.
The gallery talk is free of charge. Only the admission fee to the temporary exhibition is required (3 euros).
Commemorative products at the Acropolis Museum Shops
The Acropolis Museum proposes a series of commemorative products designed on the occasion of the temporary exhibition “Eleusis. The great mysteries”, so as to acquaint visitors with beloved objects in its collection. All items are available for purchase in the Acropolis Museum Shops.
About the exhibition
The exhibition “Eleusis. The great mysteries” presents the most important artifacts brought to light by the archaeological excavation in Eleusis, such as the unique statue of the “Fleeing Persephone”, the votive relief depicting Demeter and Kore (Persephone) and ceremonial vessels, such as kernos, plemochoe and thymiaterion, as well as monuments depicting the leading figures of the great mysteries, Hierophant and Dadouchos.
The exhibition includes archaeological findings from the Athenian Eleusinion and the Sacred Way, as the religious procession started from Athens with a host of Initiates and candidates for initiation and ended up in the Eleusis Telesterion. For this reason, a votive relief from the area of Eleusinion and distinctive findings from the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, which is located next to the Sacred Way at the area of Daphne, are on display before the entrance to the exhibition.
The exhibition area has the form of the Eleusinian Telesterion including a small-scale version of the dark Anaktoron where visitors can watch a 15-minute video presentation with aerial photographs of the Sacred Way, representations, models, the archaeological site of Eleusis and many emblematic exhibits.
The exhibition is conducted with the collaboration of the Acropolis Museum and the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica. The exhibits are on a loan from the Archaeological Museum of Eleusis and the National Archaeological Museum.
