Editing Telesterion (section)

=== Architectural Development ===
[[File:Eleusis (15989014197).jpg|thumb|View of Eleusis]]
During the mid-fifth century BCE, the Telesterion at Eleusis remained in ruins following its destruction by Persian invaders a generation earlier.<ref name="Shear">Shear, T. Leslie Jr. "Chapter 6: The Telesterion at Eleusis." ''Trophies of Victory: Public Building in Periklean Athens'', Princeton University Press, 2016, pp. 255–287. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt17xr50c.11 JSTOR].</ref> Visitors at the time would have observed both residual damage and partial repairs. Although the mud-brick wall had been breached by Persian battering rams, it had since been patched. A new section was also added to the northeast, designated for sanctuary-related functions.<ref name="Shear" />

Between 478 and 450 BCE, the central terrace remained largely unchanged. At the time of the Persian attack, the sanctuary had been undergoing reconstruction; the archaic Telesterion had already been dismantled and a new version was only in the early stages of construction.<ref name="Shear" /> As a result, the Telesterion was left unfinished and deteriorated for several decades.

Unlike typical Greek temples, the Telesterion, while serving as the central sacred space of the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]], was architecturally more similar to a performance hall than to structures like the Parthenon.<ref name="Shear" /> The term “Telesterion,” commonly used today, derives from [[Plutarch|Plutarc]]<nowiki/>h, though it was rarely used in antiquity. In official fifth-century inscriptions, the structure was referred to as the “Eleusinion.”<ref name="Shear" />

Among the religious cults affected by the Persian sack of Attica, the cult of Demeter at Eleusis was likely the most disrupted, given its heavy dependence on rituals conducted inside the sanctuary. The Mysteries relied on indoor ceremonies, including the secret initiation rites during which the hierophant revealed sacred objects of the cult. These were housed in a special inner chamber known as the Anaktoron, the most sacred space of the temple.<ref name="Shear" /> Due to the centrality of this site, it is likely that a temporary structure was erected on the ruins of the original Telesterion. This would have been a light construction, leaving no surviving physical remains. Archaeological evidence suggests that this makeshift building was located on the northeastern half of the site. When large-scale construction resumed under [[Pericles]], it began on the southwestern side, behind the Anaktoron, an area previously left untouched.<ref name="Shear" />
[[File:20101024 Acropolis panoramic view from Areopagus hill Athens Greece.jpg|thumb|View of the Athenian Acropolis]]
Before the mid-fifth century BCE, the Eleusinian sanctuary was in a poor state. It may not have even had a secure space to protect its sacred treasury. Instead, the funds dedicated to Demeter and Persephone were stored on the Athenian [[Acropolis]] alongside the treasury of Athena, indicating that Eleusis lacked a safe depository of its own.<ref name="Shear" />

This situation began to change when Athens, as part of its broader Panhellenic ambitions, promoted the Eleusinian Mysteries as a unifying religious institution.<ref name="Shear" /> Plans likely emerged to rebuild and expand the Telesterion. The first concrete step came with a decree proposed by a man named Thespieus, which reorganized the administration of the sanctuary. The decree established a board of five supervisors, known as [[Epistates|epistatai]], one of whom would serve as secretary. These officials were tasked with managing all financial and property matters concerning Demeter and Persephone, not only in Eleusis, but also in shrines located in Athens and the port of Phaleron.<ref name="Shear" />

The epistatai were empowered to collect outstanding debts, recover lost property, and manage the goddesses’ income, in consultation with the priests and the Athenian council (boulē). After the new board was formed, a state audit was conducted to examine financial records from the sanctuaries in Eleusis, Athens, and Phaleron. No architects were consulted regarding the Eleusinian sanctuary during this audit, suggesting that no major building projects had yet begun at Eleusis.<ref name="Shear" /> Nonetheless, the scale of the administrative reorganization suggests that large-scale construction, namely, the rebuilding of the Telesterion, was imminent.

Thespieus’s amendment likely supplemented an earlier, now-lost decree that had authorized the Telesterion’s reconstruction. He granted the epistatai significant authority and access to financial resources to carry out the project. The epistatai became the long-term administrators of the sanctuary, holding this role for over a century. Although they were initially appointed annually, their terms and numbers varied over time, which was typical for Athenian civic offices. Despite such changes, they retained their original responsibilities, which included financial oversight, supervision of construction, and maintenance of detailed records.<ref name="Shear" />

Surviving inscriptions from their archives include inventories of sacred objects, grain offerings, and contracts related to building activities. The epistatai were responsible for hiring architects, paying workers, and publishing accounts of construction expenses. These projects included new walls, gates, and entrances, especially those associated with the Telesterion. Ultimately, the epistatai served as the key officials responsible for the successful rebuilding of the Telesterion in the classical period.<ref name="Shear" />