Editing Telesterion (section)

=== Sensory Framing of the Deiknymena ===
[[File:Priest - Regina vasorum.jpg|thumb|Drawing of Elusinian Priest]]
The walls and roof of the Telesterion created a visually enclosed and darkened environment that shaped the sensory experience of the initiates during the Deiknymena.<ref name="Scott">Scott, Michael. "Walls and the Ancient Greek Ritual Experience: The Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Eleusis." In ''Cognitive Approaches to Ancient Religious Experience'', edited by Esther Eidinow and Armin Geertz, Cambridge University Press, 2022, pp. 193–217. [https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/161151/1/WRAP-Walls-and-the-Ancient-Greek-ritual-experience-the-sanctuary-of-Demeter-and-Kore-at-Eleusis-Scott-2022.pdf PDF].</ref> During this ritual, sacred objects were presented to them. These conditions are believed to have amplified a sense of group cohesion, as participants were physically gathered in close proximity with limited individual visibility. The darkness likely obscured the view of the rituals about to take place, while the seating arrangement, facing inward toward the center of the hall, reinforced the feeling of collective participation in a shared experience.<ref name="Scott" />

This inward-facing architecture concentrated visual attention toward the center, where the ritual climax occurred. At the height of the ceremony, sacred objects were revealed by the hierophant, often accompanied by a sudden burst of light. This dramatic shift from darkness to brightness would have had a strong sensory and emotional impact, momentarily overwhelming the initiates’ vision and limiting their ability to clearly see the objects being displayed.<ref name="Scott" />

Additionally, the Telesterion’s internal columns created partial obstructions, further interrupting lines of sight to the central ritual space. These architectural features contributed to a deliberate manipulation of visual perception, heightening the mystery of the experience. As visual clarity was restricted, initiates were prompted to rely more heavily on their sense of hearing, an effect that worked in tandem with the Telesterion’s acoustics to shape the ritual encounter.<ref name="Scott" />