# Elefsina

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City in West Attica, Greece

"Eleusis" redirects here. For other uses, see [Eleusis (disambiguation)](/source/Eleusis_(disambiguation)).

Municipality in Greece

Elefsina Ελευσίνα Municipality View over the excavation site towards Elefsina Elefsina Coordinates: 38°2′N 23°32′E / 38.033°N 23.533°E / 38.033; 23.533 Country Greece Administrative region Attica Regional unit West Attica Government • Mayor Georgios Georgopoulos[1] (since 2023) Area • Municipality 36.589 km2 (14.127 sq mi) • Municipal unit 18.455 km2 (7.126 sq mi) Elevation 5 m (16 ft) Population (2021)[2] • Municipality 30,147 • Density 823.94/km2 (2,134.0/sq mi) • Municipal unit 24,971 • Municipal unit density 1,353.1/km2 (3,504.4/sq mi) Time zone UTC+2 (EET) • Summer (DST) UTC+3 (EEST) Postal code 192 00 Area code 210 Vehicle registration YP, YT Website elefsina.gr

Plan of ancient Eleusis

**Elefsina** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Ελευσίνα, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Greek): *Elefsína*) or **Eleusis** ([/ɛˈljuːsɪs/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) [*eh-LEW-siss*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key);[3] [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek_language): Ἐλευσίς, [romanized](/source/Romanization_of_Ancient_Greek): *Eleusís*) is a suburban city and a [municipality](/source/Communities_and_Municipalities_of_Greece) within the [Athens metropolitan area](/source/Athens_metropolitan_area) in [Attica](/source/Attica), [Greece](/source/Greece). It is located in the [Thriasio Plain](/source/Thriasio_Plain), at the northernmost end of the [Saronic Gulf](/source/Saronic_Gulf), in the regional unit of [West Attica](/source/West_Attica). North of Elefsina are the towns of [Mandra](/source/Mandra%2C_Greece) and [Magoula](/source/Magoula%2C_Attica), while [Aspropyrgos](/source/Aspropyrgos) is to the northeast.

It is the site of the [Eleusinian Mysteries](/source/Eleusinian_Mysteries) and the birthplace of [Aeschylus](/source/Aeschylus). Today, Elefsina is a major industrial centre, with the largest oil refinery in Greece as well as the home of the [Aeschylia Festival](/source/Aeschylia_Festival), the longest-lived arts event in the Attica Region. On 11 November 2016, Elefsina was named the [European Capital of Culture](/source/European_Capital_of_Culture) for 2021, which became effective in 2023 due to the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic) postponement.

## Etymology

The word *Eleusis* first appears in the *[Orphic Hymn](/source/Orphic_Hymn) to Eleusinian [Demeter](/source/Demeter)*: «Δήμητρος Ελευσινίας, θυμίαμα στύρακα[4]». Also [Hesychius of Alexandria](/source/Hesychius_of_Alexandria) reports that the older name for Eleusis was Saesara (Σαισάρια). Saesara was the mythic daughter of [Celeus](/source/Celeus) (king of Eleusis when [Demeter](/source/Demeter) arrived for the first time) and granddaughter of Eleusinus, the first settler of Eleusis.[5]

## Municipality

The municipality of Elefsina was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following two former municipalities, that became municipal units:[6]

- Elefsina

- [Magoula](/source/Magoula%2C_Attica)

The municipality has an area of 36.589 km2 (14.127 sq mi), and the municipal unit has an area of 18.455 km2 (7.126 sq mi).[7]

## History

The Telesterion, the "place for initiation"

Sanctuary of Demeter (4th century BC)

### Ancient

Eleusis was a [deme](/source/Deme) of [ancient Attica](/source/Ancient_Attica), belonging to the [phyle](/source/Phyle) [Hippothoöntis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hippotho%C3%B6ntis&action=edit&redlink=1). It owed its celebrity to its being the chief seat of the worship of [Demeter](/source/Demeter) and [Persephone](/source/Persephone), and to the mysteries celebrated in honour of these goddesses, which were called the *[Eleusinia](/source/Eleusinian_Mysteries)*, and continued to be regarded as the most sacred of all the Grecian mysteries down to the fall of paganism.

Eleusis stood upon a height at a short distance from the sea, and opposite the island of [Salamis](/source/Salamis_Island).[8] Its situation possessed three natural advantages. It was on the road from [Athens](/source/Ancient_Athens) to the [Isthmus of Corinth](/source/Isthmus_of_Corinth); it was in a very fertile plain; and it was at the head of an extensive bay, formed on three sides by the coast of Attica, and shut in on the south by the island of Salamis. The town itself dates from the most ancient times.

The caves on the coast of Eleusis are home to a mythological place for the Greek world. There is a cave said to be the very spot where Persephone was abducted by Hades himself and the cave was considered a gateway to Tartarus. At the spot of this abduction was a sanctuary ([Ploutonion](/source/Ploutonion)) dedicated to Hades and Persephone.[9]

The Rharian plain is also mentioned in the *[Homeric Hymn](/source/Homeric_Hymn) to Artemis*;[10] it appears to have been in the neighbourhood of the city; but its site cannot be determined.

#### Mythology and Proto-history

It appears to have derived its name from the supposed advent (ἔλευσις) of Demeter, though some traced its name from an eponymous hero Eleusis.[11] It was one of the 12 independent states into which Attica was said to have been originally divided.[12]

"When Athens had only just become Athens, it went to war with another city built thirteen miles away: Eleusis," [Roberto Calasso](/source/Roberto_Calasso) wrote of the ancient provenance of the relationship between temple-city and the [Attic](/source/Attica) seat of power.[13] "It was a war usually described as mythical, since it has no date. And it was a theological war, since Athens belonged to [Athena](/source/Athena) and Eleusis to [Poseidon](/source/Poseidon). [Eumolpus](/source/Eumolpus) and [Erechtheus](/source/Erechtheus), the founding kings of the two cities, both died in it."[13]

It is related that in the reign of [Eumolpus](/source/Eumolpus), king of Eleusis, and [Erechtheus](/source/Erechtheus), king of Athens, there was a war between the two states, in which the Eleusinians were defeated, whereupon they agreed to acknowledge the supremacy of Athens in everything except the celebration of the mysteries, of which they were to continue to have the management.[14][15] Eleusis afterwards became an Attic deme, but in consequence of its sacred character it was allowed to retain the title of *[polis](/source/Polis)* (πόλις)[16][11] and to coin its own money, a privilege possessed by no other town in Attica, except Athens. The history of Eleusis is part of the history of Athens. Once a year the great Eleusinian procession travelled from Athens to Eleusis, along the [Sacred Way](/source/Sacred_Way).

#### Eleusinian Mysteries

Main article: [Triptolemus](/source/Triptolemus)

The [Great Eleusinian Relief](/source/Great_Eleusinian_Relief) (c. 430 BC) depicting the ritual of the Mysteries. National Archaeological Museum.

The large [Lacrateides Relief](/source/Lacrateides_Relief), 100-90 BC

Eubuleus (4th c. BC) from Eleusis (Athens Museum)

Roman relief with inscription and wheat decorations from the archeological site

Eleusis was the site of the [Eleusinian Mysteries](/source/Eleusinian_Mysteries), or the Mysteries of [Demeter](/source/Demeter) and [Kore](/source/Persephone), which became popular in the Greek-speaking world as early as 600 BC, and attracted initiates during Roman Empire before declining in the mid- to late 4th century AD.[17] These Mysteries revolved around a belief that there was a hope for life after death for those who were initiated. Such a belief was cultivated from the introduction ceremony in which the hopeful initiates were shown a number of things including the seed of life in a stalk of grain. The central [myth](/source/Greek_mythology) of the Mysteries was Demeter's quest for her lost daughter (Kore the Maiden, or [Persephone](/source/Persephone)) who had been abducted by [Hades](/source/Hades). It was here that Demeter, disguised as an old lady who was abducted by pirates in [Crete](/source/Crete), came to an old well where the four daughters of the local king [Keleos](/source/Keleos) and his queen [Metaneira](/source/Metaneira) ([Kallidike](/source/Kallidike), [Kleisidike](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kleisidike&action=edit&redlink=1), [Demo](/source/Demeter) and [Kallithoe](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kallithoe&action=edit&redlink=1)) found her and took her to their palace to nurse the son of Keleos and Metaneira, [Demophoon](/source/Demophon_of_Eleusis). Demeter raised Demophoon, anointing him with nectar and ambrosia and placing him at night in the fire in order to endow him with immortality, until Metaneira found out and insulted her. Demeter arose insulted, and casting off her disguise, and, in all her glory, instructed Meteneira to build a temple to her. Keleos, informed the next morning by Metaneira, ordered the citizens to build a rich shrine to Demeter, where she sat in her temple until the lot of the world prayed to [Zeus](/source/Zeus) to make the world provide food again.

The Great Eleusian relief, which was famous in antiquity and was copied in the Roman period, is the largest and most important votive relief found and dates to 440-430 BC. It represents the Eleusinian deities in a mysterious ritual. On the left, Demeter, clad in a [peplos](/source/Peplos) and holding a sceptre in her left hand, offers ears of wheat to Triptolemos, son of the Eleusinian king Keleos, to bestow on mankind. On the right, Persephone, clad in chiton and mantle and holding a torch, blesses Triptolemos with her right hand. The original marble relief was found at the sanctuary of Demeter, the site of the Eleusinian Mysteries. A number of Roman copies also survive.[18]

#### Classical Greek and Roman history

During the [Greco-Persian Wars](/source/Greco-Persian_Wars), the ancient temple of Demeter was burnt down by the [Persians](/source/Ancient_Persia) in 484 BC;[19] and it was not until the administration of [Pericles](/source/Pericles) that an attempt was made to rebuild it. When the power of the [Thirty Tyrants](/source/Thirty_Tyrants) was overthrown after the [Peloponnesian War](/source/Peloponnesian_War), they retired to Eleusis, which they had secured beforehand, but where they maintained themselves for only a short time.[20]

The town of Eleusis and its immediate neighbourhood were exposed to inundations from the river [Cephissus](/source/Cephissus_(Athenian_plain)), which, though almost dry during the greater part of the year, is sometimes swollen to such an extent as to spread itself over a large part of the plain. [Demosthenes](/source/Demosthenes) (384 – 322 BC) alludes to inundations at Eleusis;[21]

[Pausanias](/source/Pausanias_(geographer)) (c. 110 – c. 180 AD) has left us only a very brief description of Eleusis;[22]

The Eleusinians have a temple of [Triptolemus](/source/Triptolemus), another of [Artemis](/source/Artemis) Propylaea, and a third of [Poseidon](/source/Poseidon) the Father, and a well called Callichorum, where the Eleusinian women first instituted a dance and sang in honour of the goddess. They say that the Rharian plain was the first place in which corn was sown and first produced a harvest, and that hence barley from this plain is employed for making sacrificial cakes. There the so-called threshing-floor and altar of Triptolemus are shown. The things within the wall of the Hierum [i.e., the temple of Demeter] a dream forbade me to describe.

Under the [Romans](/source/Roman_Greece) Eleusis enjoyed great prosperity, as initiation into its mysteries became fashionable among the Roman nobles.

[Hadrian](/source/Hadrian) was initiated into the Mysteries in about 125[23] and raised embankments in the plain of the river in consequence of a flood which occurred while he was spending the winter at Athens.[24]

To the same emperor most likely Eleusis was indebted for a supply of good water by means of the aqueduct, completed in about 160 AD. Apart from satisfying the need for drinking water, it also enabled the construction of public fountains and baths. It was fed by springs in Mount Parnitha and used mainly underground tunnels. It crossed the Thriasian Plain and turned abruptly towards the south at the outskirts of Eleusis. The best visible remains are on the east side of Dimitros Street.

It was destroyed by [Alaric I](/source/Alaric_I) in 396 AD, and from that time disappears from history.

### Monuments

Roman bridge at Elefsina

The [Telesterion](/source/Telesterion), or temple of Demeter, was the largest in all Greece,[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] and is described by [Strabo](/source/Strabo) as capable of containing as many persons as a theatre.[25] The building was initially designed by [Ictinus](/source/Ictinus), the architect of the [Parthenon](/source/Parthenon) at Athens; but it was many years before it was completed, and the names of several architects are preserved who were employed in building it.

During its long history, the temple underwent subsequent building phases. Much of that visible today is of the Classical era (5th century BC). Its portico of 12 columns was added in the time of [Demetrius Phalereus](/source/Demetrius_Phalereus), about 318 BC, by the architect [Philo](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Philo_(architect)&action=edit&redlink=1).[25][26] When finished, it was considered one of the four finest examples of Grecian architecture in marble.

Modifications were also carried out in Roman times (2nd c. AD).

The Roman bridge that carried the ancient Sacred Way over the [Kephissus](/source/Cephissus_(Athenian_plain)) river is visible about 1 km from the Sanctuary of Demeter. The bridge is in very good condition and is an outstanding example of ancient bridge building. It consists of a central 30 m-long main bridge with 4 arches and 10 m-long sloping access on either side.

The Sacred Way was the main road from Athens and led to Demeter's sanctuary, and was also the road used by the procession every year of the celebration of the Great Mysteries escorting the sacred objects back to Eleusis. Its course is visible in some places and has been accurately traced by rescue excavations and ran parallel to its namesake in the modern city only a few metres to the south. Roadside cemeteries from different periods throughout antiquity are found next to it and prehistoric graves witness its existence by 1600 BC. During the Hellenistic and mainly Roman eras the road was used for the exhibition of wealth and social power, with costly burial monuments being erected all along it. The road was in use until at least the 6th century AD.

### Medieval and early Modern era

The [Paleo-Christian](/source/Early_Christian_art_and_architecture) Church of [Agios Zacharias](/source/Zechariah_(Hebrew_prophet)), rumored to be the only one in Greece dedicated to that saint.

It is indicative that writers of the [Byzantine era](/source/Byzantine_Empire) refer to it as a "small village", and shortly before the Ottoman domination the area was deserted by wars, raids and captives. During this period was settled by [Arvanites](/source/Arvanites). European travelers during the [Ottoman domination](/source/Ottoman_Greece) described Eleusis as having few inhabitants and many ancient ruins.

### Modern Elefsina

The old factory of Kronos at the seafront of Elefsina.

View of the lower area of the town from the hill of the archeological site.

In 1829, after the [Greek War of Independence](/source/Greek_War_of_Independence), Elefsina was a small settlement of about 250 inhabitants. By the late 19th century Elefsina changed drastically as new buildings were erected by the new merchant settlers. Also during that period Eleusis became one of the main industrial centers of the [Modern Greek state](/source/Modern_Greek_state) with concrete factory [TITAN](/source/Titan_Cement), Charilaou Soap Factory as well as the distilleries of Botrys and Kronos being established in the area.[27]

Arvanitika is still spoken in the village, with the locals qualifying their dialect more "noble" and "refined" than those of rural Arvanites.[28] Many Greek families of [Asia Minor](/source/Anatolia) settled in Elefsina after the [1922 Asia Minor Catastrophe](/source/Greco-Turkish_War_(1919%E2%80%931922)) and created the settlement of Upper Elefsina, doubling its total population and enriching the region culturally and economically.[29]

During the [Axis occupation of Greece](/source/Axis_occupation_of_Greece) (1941–1945), strong resistance developed within the city, the factories and the military airport, which once stationed Squadron 80, the squadron that [Roald Dahl](/source/Roald_Dahl)[30] was assigned to in the RAF. After [World War II](/source/World_War_II), workers from all parts of Greece moved to Elefsina to work in the industries in the region. Industrial activity, however, developed anarchically on the antiquities and next to the residential area.

[Environmental pollution](/source/Pollution) has taken on large dimensions. During the 20th century, at the time of sustainable development, archaeological discoveries and industrial formation shaped the image of contemporary Eleusis.

In 1962, a large house of priests from the [Roman era](/source/Roman_Greece) was discovered. Pollution thanks to citizens' struggles gradually has fallen.

Today, the city has become a suburb of [Athens](/source/Athens), to which it is linked by the [A6 motorway](/source/A6_motorway_(Greece)) and [Greek National Road 8](/source/Greek_National_Road_8). Eleusis is nowadays a major industrial area, and the place where the majority of crude oil in Greece is imported and refined. The largest refinery is located on the west side of town, right beside where the annual Aeschylia Festival is held in honor of the great tragic poet Aeschylus.

[Elefsis Shipyards](/source/Elefsis_Shipyards) is located here.

There is a [military airport](/source/Elefsina_Air_Base) a few kilometers east of Elefsina. Elefsina Airfield played a crucial role in the final British evacuation during the 1941 [Battle of Greece](/source/Battle_of_Greece), as recounted by [Roald Dahl](/source/Roald_Dahl) in his autobiography *[Going Solo](/source/Going_Solo)*.

Elefsina is home to the football club [Panelefsiniakos F.C.](/source/Panelefsiniakos_F.C.), and the basketball club [Panelefsiniakos B.C.](/source/Panelefsiniakos_B.C.)

## Aeschylia Festival

See also: [Athens Festival](/source/Athens_Festival)

Established in 1975, the Aeschylia Festival in Eleusis in Western Attica is the currently the longest standing cultural event organized by an [Attica Municipality](/source/Attica_(region)). It is held annually at Palaio Elaiourgeio, a former soap factory by the seafront that functions as an open theatre. The festival usually begins at the end of August and runs through September. The event is organized in honor of the [ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greece) [tragedian](/source/Tragedy) [Aeschylus](/source/Aeschylus), who was born in Eleusis, and derives its name from him. It includes stage productions, art exhibitions and installations, concerts, and dance events.

## Climate

Elefsina has a hot-summer [Mediterranean climate](/source/Mediterranean_climate#Hot-summer_Mediterranean_climate) (*Csa*), bordering on a hot [semi-arid climate](/source/Semi-arid_climate) (*BSh*) for the 1958-2010 period, according to the meteorological station operated by the [Hellenic National Meteorological Service](/source/Hellenic_National_Meteorological_Service). Elefsina is particularly hot during the summer, with an average July maximum of 33.2 °C (91.8 °F). According to Kassomenos and Katsoulis (2006), based on 12 years of data (1990–2001), the industrialization of west [Attica](/source/Attica_(region)), where at least 40% of the industrial activity of the country is concentrated, could be the cause of the warm climate of the zone.[31] On 4 June 2024 the [WMO](/source/WMO) station in the port of Elefsina broke the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in [Greece](/source/Greece) for the first 10 days of June from the [National Observatory of Athens](/source/National_Observatory_of_Athens) network.[32]

Climate data for Elefsina Port 10 m a.s.l. Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 24.9 (76.8) 22.8 (73.0) 25.8 (78.4) 31.4 (88.5) 37.4 (99.3) 45.3 (113.5) 44.8 (112.6) 43.7 (110.7) 38.4 (101.1) 32.8 (91.0) 29.1 (84.4) 22.2 (72.0) 45.3 (113.5) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 13.8 (56.8) 15.5 (59.9) 18.0 (64.4) 22.2 (72.0) 26.5 (79.7) 31.4 (88.5) 34.6 (94.3) 34.1 (93.4) 29.7 (85.5) 24.7 (76.5) 20.1 (68.2) 15.8 (60.4) 23.9 (75.0) Daily mean °C (°F) 10.2 (50.4) 11.6 (52.9) 13.7 (56.7) 17.5 (63.5) 21.8 (71.2) 26.7 (80.1) 30.0 (86.0) 29.8 (85.6) 25.5 (77.9) 20.9 (69.6) 16.6 (61.9) 12.3 (54.1) 19.7 (67.5) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 6.6 (43.9) 7.7 (45.9) 9.4 (48.9) 12.8 (55.0) 17.1 (62.8) 21.9 (71.4) 25.3 (77.5) 25.5 (77.9) 21.3 (70.3) 17.0 (62.6) 13.0 (55.4) 8.8 (47.8) 15.5 (59.9) Record low °C (°F) −2.0 (28.4) −1.1 (30.0) 0.2 (32.4) 4.6 (40.3) 11.8 (53.2) 14.7 (58.5) 19.3 (66.7) 19.7 (67.5) 12.9 (55.2) 8.3 (46.9) 4.5 (40.1) 0.6 (33.1) −2.0 (28.4) Average rainfall mm (inches) 60.4 (2.38) 33.6 (1.32) 24.6 (0.97) 20.3 (0.80) 19.4 (0.76) 33.1 (1.30) 11.1 (0.44) 10.5 (0.41) 32.3 (1.27) 28.9 (1.14) 65.6 (2.58) 57.5 (2.26) 397.3 (15.63) Source: National Observatory of Athens Monthly Bulletins (Mar 2016-Apr 2024)[33][34] and World Meteorological Organization[35]

Climate data for Elefsina, Greece (1958–2010) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 13.1 (55.6) 13.6 (56.5) 16.1 (61.0) 20.2 (68.4) 25.8 (78.4) 30.7 (87.3) 33.2 (91.8) 32.9 (91.2) 28.8 (83.8) 23.3 (73.9) 18.6 (65.5) 14.6 (58.3) 22.6 (72.6) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 5.6 (42.1) 5.6 (42.1) 7.3 (45.1) 10.4 (50.7) 15.1 (59.2) 19.7 (67.5) 22.7 (72.9) 22.7 (72.9) 19.0 (66.2) 14.8 (58.6) 10.6 (51.1) 7.4 (45.3) 13.4 (56.1) Average precipitation mm (inches) 48.4 (1.91) 37.6 (1.48) 38.9 (1.53) 26.0 (1.02) 18.2 (0.72) 8.0 (0.31) 5.7 (0.22) 5.0 (0.20) 15.7 (0.62) 47.3 (1.86) 63.4 (2.50) 62.9 (2.48) 377.1 (14.85) Source: Hellenic National Meteorological Service[36]

### European temperature record

Until 2021, Elefsina was one of the areas in the [Athens Metropolitan Area](/source/Athens_Metropolitan_Area) (the other one was [Tatoi](/source/Tatoi_Palace)) which held the record of the [highest ever officially recorded temperature in Europe](/source/List_of_weather_records#Europe) for 44 years with a reading of 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) on 10 July 1977.[37]

## Hospitals and medical centres

See also: [List of hospitals in Greece](/source/List_of_hospitals_in_Greece)

Elefsina has a general hospital, the Thriassio General Hospital, located 3.9 km north of the city centre. Administratively, it belongs to the municipal unit of [Magoula](/source/Magoula%2C_Attica). Elefsina also has a health center which is located at the seaside of the town, near the Fire Department of Elefsina.

## Historical population

Elefsina municipality within West Attica.

Elefsina municipal unit.

Year Municipal unit Municipality 1981 20,320 – 1991 22,793 – 2001 25,863 – 2011 24,901 29,902 2021 24,971 30,147

## Sports

Elefsina hosts the multi-sport club [Panelefsiniakos](/source/Panelefsiniakos_F.C.) with successful sections in football and basketball. Another historical club of Elefsina is [Iraklis Eleusis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iraklis_Eleusis&action=edit&redlink=1), founded in 1928.

Notable sport clubs based in Eleusis Club Sports Founded Achievements Iraklis Elefsinas Football 1928 Earlier presence in Gamma Ethniki Panelefsiniakos Football 1931 Earlier presence in A Ethniki Basketball 1969 Earlier presence in A1 Ethniki O.K.E. Basketball 1996

## Notable people

Herma of [Aeschylus](/source/Aeschylus) (Aischylos). Roman bust from the time around 30 BC after Greek bronze herma from the years 340–320 BC. Naples National Archaeological Museum.

- [Aeschylus](/source/Aeschylus) (c. 525 BC/524 BC – c. 456 BC/455 BC), playwright and veteran of the [Battle of Marathon](/source/Battle_of_Marathon)

- [Theodoros Pangalos](/source/Theodoros_Pangalos_(general)) (1878–1952), general

- [Stelios Kazantzidis](/source/Stelios_Kazantzidis) (1931–2001), singer

- Vasilis Laskos (1899–1943), commander of [submarine Katsonis](/source/Katsonis-class_submarine), a hero of the Second World War

- [Orestis Laskos](/source/Orestis_Laskos) (1908–1992), director, screenwriter and actor

- [Vangelis Liapis](/source/Vangelis_Liapis) (1914–2008), scholar and folklorist

- [Theodoros Pangalos](/source/Theodoros_Pangalos_(politician)) (1938– 2023), politician

- [Alexandros Kontoulis](/source/Alexandros_Kontoulis) (1858–1933), military officer

- [Ioannis Kalitzakis](/source/Ioannis_Kalitzakis) (1966– ), footballer

- Katerina Mouriki (1951–), children's novelist

- [Panagiotis Lafazanis](/source/Panagiotis_Lafazanis) (1951–), politician

## Twin towns

See also: [List of twin towns and sister cities in Greece](/source/List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_Greece)

Elefsina is [twinned](/source/Twinned_cities) with:

- [Gela](/source/Gela), Italy[38]

## Gallery

		- The upper part of one of the [two caryatids](/source/Caryatids_of_Eleusis) that flanked the Lesser Propylaea of the sanctuary of [Demeter](/source/Demeter) and [Kore](/source/Persephone) at Eleusis.

		- Ruins of the Telesterion at the Sanctuary of Demeter in Eleusis with view to the modern town

		- Part of the ancient walls

		- Ruins of the East Triumphal Arch by Antoninus Pius, archaeological site

		- Cuirassed bust of [Marcus Aurelius](/source/Marcus_Aurelius), archaeological site

		- Funerary Proto-Attic [Amphora](/source/Amphora) with a depiction of the blinding of [Polyphemus](/source/Polyphemus) by [Odysseus](/source/Odysseus) and his companions, 670-660 BC, Eleusis Museum

		- Saint George's Cathedral

## See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Elefsina](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Elefsina).

- [Archaeological Museum of Eleusis](/source/Archaeological_Museum_of_Eleusis)

- [Persephone](/source/Persephone)

- [Demeter](/source/Demeter)

- [Megara](/source/Megara)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-mayor_1-0)** [Municipality of Elefsina, Municipal elections – October 2023](https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9229/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20241227200932/https://ekloges.ypes.gr/current/d/home/en/municipalities/9229/) 27 December 2024 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), Ministry of Interior

1. **[^](#cite_ref-census21_2-0)** ["Αποτελέσματα Απογραφής Πληθυσμού - Κατοικιών 2021, Μόνιμος Πληθυσμός κατά οικισμό"](https://www.statistics.gr/documents/20181/17286366/MON_PLI_DHM_OIKISN_2021.xlsx) [Results of the 2021 Population - Housing Census, Permanent population by settlement] (in Greek). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 29 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Wells, John C. (2000) [1990]. [*Longman Pronunciation Dictionary*](https://archive.org/details/longman-pronunciation-dictionary/page/253/mode/2up) (new ed.). Harlow, England: Longman. p. 254. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-582-36467-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-582-36467-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Δήμητρος Ελευσινίας – Βικιθήκη](https://el.wikisource.org/wiki/%CE%94%CE%AE%CE%BC%CE%B7%CF%84%CF%81%CE%BF%CF%82_%CE%95%CE%BB%CE%B5%CF%85%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%BD%CE%AF%CE%B1%CF%82) [Orphic hymns / Demetrios Eleusinia]. *el.wikisource.org* (in Greek). Retrieved 31 July 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Eleusis – Greek Mythology Link"](http://www.maicar.com/GML/Eleusis.html). *www.maicar.com*. Retrieved 31 July 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Kallikratis_6-0)** ["ΦΕΚ A 87/2010, Kallikratis reform law text"](http://www.et.gr/idocs-nph/search/pdfViewerForm.html?args=5C7QrtC22wGYK2xFpSwMnXdtvSoClrL8-SrPzKAEPjjtIl9LGdkF53UIxsx942CdyqxSQYNuqAGCF0IfB9HI6hq6ZkZV96FIukI0UzcPsWCK0LpLhpa7rhiWB4R5ntTnoWw7U8E1Amg.) (in Greek). [Government Gazette](/source/Government_Gazette_(Greece)).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-stat01_7-0)** ["Population & housing census 2001 (incl. area and average elevation)"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150921212047/http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf) (PDF) (in Greek). National Statistical Service of Greece. Archived from [the original](http://dlib.statistics.gr/Book/GRESYE_02_0101_00098%20.pdf) (PDF) on 21 September 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Gardner, Ernest Arthur (1911). ["Eleusis"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Eleusis). In [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm) (ed.). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 262.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Archaeologists Find a Classic Entrance to Hell"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210428212646/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/130414-hell-underworld-archaeology-mount-olympus--greece). *Adventure*. 16 April 2013. Archived from [the original](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/130414-hell-underworld-archaeology-mount-olympus--greece) on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** *[Homeric Hymn](/source/Homeric_Hymn) to Artemis* 450

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Cite_Pausanias|1|38|7_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Cite_Pausanias|1|38|7_11-1) [Pausanias](/source/Pausanias_(geographer)) (1918). ["38.7"](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=paus.+1.38.7). *Description of Greece*. Vol. 1. Translated by [W. H. S. Jones](/source/W._H._S._Jones); H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via [Perseus Digital Library](/source/Perseus_Digital_Library).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [Strabo](/source/Strabo). *[Geographica](/source/Geographica)*. Vol. ix. p.397. Page numbers refer to those of [Isaac Casaubon](/source/Isaac_Casaubon)'s edition.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_13-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_13-1) Calasso, Roberto (2020). *The celestial hunter*. Richard Dixon. [London], UK. p. 361. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-241-29674-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-241-29674-5). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1114975938](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1114975938).{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [Thucydides](/source/Thucydides). *[History of the Peloponnesian War](/source/History_of_the_Peloponnesian_War)*. Vol. 2.15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** [Pausanias](/source/Pausanias_(geographer)) (1918). ["38.3"](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=paus.+1.38.3). *Description of Greece*. Vol. 1. Translated by [W. H. S. Jones](/source/W._H._S._Jones); H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via [Perseus Digital Library](/source/Perseus_Digital_Library).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** [Strabo](/source/Strabo). *[Geographica](/source/Geographica)*. Vol. ix. p.395. Page numbers refer to those of [Isaac Casaubon](/source/Isaac_Casaubon)'s edition.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CurtaHolt2016_17-0)** Florin Curta; Andrew Holt (28 November 2016). [*Great Events in Religion: An Encyclopedia of Pivotal Events in Religious History*](https://books.google.com/books?id=dgF9DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA64). ABC-CLIO. p. 64. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-61069-566-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-61069-566-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** [Gisela M. A. Richter](/source/Gisela_M._A._Richter). “A Roman Copy of the Eleusinian Relief.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, vol. 30, no. 11, 1935, pp. 216–221. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3255443

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** [Herodotus](/source/Herodotus). *[Histories](/source/Histories_(Herodotus))*. Vol. 9.65.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** [Xenophon](/source/Xenophon). *[Hellenica](/source/Hellenica)*. Vol. 2.4.8, *et seq.*, 2.4.43.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** [Demosthenes](/source/Demosthenes), *c. Callicl.* p. 1279.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** [Pausanias](/source/Pausanias_(geographer)) (1918). ["38.6"](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=paus.+1.38.6). *Description of Greece*. Vol. 1. Translated by [W. H. S. Jones](/source/W._H._S._Jones); H. A. Ormerod. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann – via [Perseus Digital Library](/source/Perseus_Digital_Library).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** Eusebius: Chronicle

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** Euseb. Chron. p. 81

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Strabo_25-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Strabo_25-1) [Strabo](/source/Strabo). *[Geographica](/source/Geographica)*. Vol. ix. p. 395. Page numbers refer to those of [Isaac Casaubon](/source/Isaac_Casaubon)'s edition.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** [Plutarch](/source/Plutarch) *Per.* 13.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["History of the town of Eleusis"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190619064137/http://www.eleusina.gr/history/syntomo_istoriko.aspx?sflang=en). Archived from [the original](http://www.eleusina.gr/history/syntomo_istoriko.aspx?sflang=en) on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-28)** Adamou E. & Drettas G. 2008, Slave, Le patrimoine plurilingue de la Grèce – Le nom des langues II, E. Adamou (éd.), BCILL 121, Leuven, Peeters, p.56.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-29)** ["Museum of Greeks of Minor Asia"](http://www.arxeion-politismou.gr/2017/12/Mouseio-Istorias-Laografias-SYllogou-Mikrasiaton-Elefsinas.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-30)** Dahl, Roald (1986). [*Going Solo*](https://books.google.com/books?id=dImS-_HRoQAC&pg=PA128). Cape. p. 128. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-224-02407-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-224-02407-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-31)** Kassomenos, P. A.; Katsoulis, B. D. (31 July 2006). "Mesoscale and macroscale aspects of the morning Urban Heat Island around Athens, Greece". *Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics*. **94** (1–4): 209–218. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2006MAP....94..209K](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006MAP....94..209K). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/s00703-006-0191-x](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs00703-006-0191-x). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0177-7971](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0177-7971). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [119670327](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:119670327).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-32)** ["June first ten days record"](https://web.archive.org/web/20240604173106/https://www.meteo.gr/article_view.cfm?entryID=3258). Archived from [the original](https://www.meteo.gr/article_view.cfm?entryID=3258) on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-33)** ["Monthly Bulletins"](https://www.meteo.gr/Monthly_Bulletins.cfm). *www.meteo.gr*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-34)** ["Latest Conditions in Elefsina"](https://penteli.meteo.gr/stations/elefsina/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-WMO_35-0)** ["World Meteorological Organization"](https://oscar.wmo.int/surface/#/search/station/stationReportDetails/0-300-1-elefsina). Retrieved 5 August 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-HNMS_36-0)** ["Climatological Information for Elefsina, Greece"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110716052439/http://www.hnms.gr/hnms/english/climatology/climatology_region_diagrams_html?dr_city=Elefsina). *Hellenic National Meteorological Service*. 16 July 2011. Archived from [the original](http://www.hnms.gr/hnms/english/climatology/climatology_region_diagrams_html?dr_city=Elefsina) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 28 August 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-37)** ["WMO Region VI (Europe, Continent only): Highest Temperature"](https://wmo.asu.edu/content/europe-highest-temperature). *[World Meteorological Organization](/source/World_Meteorological_Organization)*. Retrieved 28 August 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-38)** ["eleusis 2021"](https://eleusis2021.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ELEUSIS21_BID_BOOK_2016_ENG_outline.pdf) (PDF). p. 16.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the [public domain](/source/Public_domain): [Smith, William](/source/William_Smith_(lexicographer)), ed. (1854–1857). "Eleusis". *[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography](/source/Dictionary_of_Greek_and_Roman_Geography)*. London: John Murray.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.eleusina.gr/) (in English and Greek)

- ["Eleusis"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica,_Ninth_Edition/Eleusis). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica)*. Vol. VIII (9th ed.). 1878. p. 128.

Places adjacent to Elefsina Mandra Magoula Nea Peramos Elefsina Aspropyrgos Saronic Gulf

v t e Administrative divisions of the Attica Region Area 3,808 km2 (1,470 sq mi) Population 3,827,624 (as of 2011) Municipalities 66 (since 2011) Capital Athens Regional unit of Central Athens Athens Dafni-Ymittos Nea Filadelfeia-Nea Chalkidona Galatsi Ilioupoli Kaisariani Vyronas Zografou Regional unit of North Athens Agia Paraskevi Chalandri Filothei-Psychiko Irakleio Kifissia Lykovrysi-Pefki Marousi Metamorfosi Nea Ionia Papagou-Cholargos Penteli Vrilissia Regional unit of West Athens Agia Varvara Agioi Anargyroi-Kamatero Aigaleo Haidari Ilion Peristeri Petroupoli Regional unit of South Athens Agios Dimitrios Alimos Elliniko-Argyroupoli Glyfada Kallithea Moschato-Tavros Nea Smyrni Palaio Faliro Regional unit of Piraeus Keratsini-Drapetsona Korydallos Nikaia-Agios Ioannis Renti Perama Piraeus Regional unit of East Attica Acharnes Dionysos Kropia Lavreotiki Marathon Markopoulo Oropos Paiania Pallini Rafina-Pikermi Saronikos Spata-Artemida Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni Regional unit of West Attica Aspropyrgos Elefsina Fyli Mandra-Eidyllia Megara Regional unit of Islands Aegina Agistri Hydra Kythira Poros Salamis Spetses Troizinia-Methana Regional governor Nikos Hardalias [el] Decentralized administration Attica

v t e Subdivisions of the municipality of Elefsina Municipal units Elefsina Magoula

v t e Arvanites History Morea revolt of 1453–1454 Greek War of Independence Culture Dialect Arvanitika Clothing Fustanella Individuals Presidents Pavlos Kountouriotis Theodoros Pangalos Prime ministers Alexandros Diomidis Georgios Kountouriotis Antonios Kriezis Athanasios Miaoulis Dimitrios Voulgaris Diomidis Kyriakos Military Odysseas Androutsos Laskarina Bouboulina Sofoklis Dousmanis Viktor Dousmanis Alexandros Kontoulis Dimitrios Kriezis Nikolaos Kriezotis Georgios Sachtouris Andrea Miaoulis Andreas A. Miaoulis Andreas D. Miaoulis (1819) Andreas D. Miaoulis (1869) Dimitrios Miaoulis Dimitrios D. Miaoulis Emmanouil Miaoulis Emmanouil A. Miaoulis Ioannis Miaoulis Ioannis A. Miaoulis Nikolaos Miaoulis Dimitris Plapoutas Emmanouil Tombazis Iakovos Tombazis Anastasios Tsamados Meletis Vasileiou Nikolaos Votsis Yannis Gouras Politicians Lazaros Kountouriotis Antonios Miaoulis Athanasios N. Miaoulis Ioannis Orlandos Spyridon Mercouris Theodoros Pangalos (politician) Clergy Ieronymos II of Athens Scientists Tasos Neroutsos Authors Vangelis Liapis Aristeidis Kollias Panayotis Koupitoris Anastas Kullurioti Artists Eleni Boukoura-Altamoura Anastasios Orlandos Andreas Kriezis Nikolaos Vokos Gerasimos Vokos

v t e Landmarks of Attica* Aigosthena Amphiareion of Oropos Artemida Brauron Eleutherae Eleusis Lagonisi Lake Marathon Laurium Marathon Mount Pentelicus Parnitha Porto Rafti Queen's Tower (Serpieri) Rhamnous Rododafni Castle Saronida Sounion Tatoi Palace Temple of Apollo Zoster *Not included the most parts of Athens urban area

v t e European Capitals of Culture 1985 Athens 1986 Florence 1987 Amsterdam 1988 West Berlin 1989 Paris 1990 Glasgow 1991 Dublin 1992 Madrid 1993 Antwerp 1994 Lisbon 1995 Luxembourg City 1996 Copenhagen 1997 Thessaloniki 1998 Stockholm 1999 Weimar 2000 Reykjavík Bergen Helsinki Brussels Prague Kraków Santiago de Compostela Avignon Bologna 2001 Rotterdam Porto 2002 Bruges Salamanca 2003 Graz Plovdiv 2004 Genoa Lille 2005 Cork 2006 Patras 2007 Luxembourg City Sibiu 2008 Liverpool Stavanger 2009 Linz Vilnius 2010 Essen Istanbul Pécs 2011 Turku Tallinn 2012 Maribor Guimarães 2013 Košice Marseille 2014 Umeå Riga 2015 Mons Plzeň 2016 San Sebastián Wrocław 2017 Aarhus Paphos 2018 Valletta Leeuwarden 2019 Plovdiv Matera 2020-April 2021 Rijeka Galway 2022 Kaunas Esch-sur-Alzette Novi Sad 2023 Veszprém Timișoara Elefsina 2024 Tartu Bad Ischl Bodø 2025 Nova Gorica / Gorizia Chemnitz 2026 Oulu Trenčín 2027 Liepāja

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elefsina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elefsina) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elefsina?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.