Continued from the three previous posts…. This painting by Joseph Gandy, British artist and visionary architect, gives us his idea of what the site at Eleusis might have looked like around 200CE at the beginnings of the end of the Roman Empire. The Temple of Demeter is that big building in the center. The Temple and its grounds had two propylaia, or massive entryways, at this time. The outer, newer one is the Great Propylaia, built around 150CE by either Emperor Hadrian or Marcus Aurelius or both. It’s that large, columned  building/gate to the right. The tiny building to the far right is probably the Temple of Artemis. The smaller gate with three entryways that’s closer to the temple is the Small Propylaia, built around 50BCE In the site museum, which is quite nice, there is a statue of a woman with what looks like it might be a basket on her head. But this wasn’t just any woman. When I looked up into her… Read More »