Eleusis, 18 km northwest of Athens, was the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries, secret rites honoring Demeter and her daughter Persephone that were among the most influential religious traditions of the ancient Greek world. According to myth, Demeter came to Eleusis while searching for Persephone after her abduction by Hades, and it was here that the goddess taught the Eleusinians the sacred rites in gratitude for their hospitality. A few highlights from the site: the Ploutonion, a small cave sanctuary believed by ancient visitors to be a mythical entrance to the underworld; the Mourning Rock (Agelastos Petra), where Demeter was said to have sat in grief during her search; the monumental Propylaia, modeled on the entrance to the Athenian Acropolis; and reliefs depicting Triptolemus, the young hero taught by Demeter to spread agriculture to humankind. [Editor’s note: the original site had only brief photo labels for this page (ancient graffiti, threshold blocks, griffin and sphinx reliefs, a Polyphemos detail, among others). This paragraph was drafted as a placeholder and should be reviewed/expanded by Dr. Siegel.]