Ploutonion: Temple of Hades (Eleusis, Greece)
Persephone and Hades
Eleusinian mysteries
Ancient Greek religion
Temples, Greek--Greece
Hades (Greek deity)
Classical Greece
Homeric hymn to Demeter
This photograph shows the ruins of the Ploutonion, a temple dedicated to the god of the underworld, Hades. Classical beliefs prevented the Greeks from referring to Hades by his proper name, so the alias, "Pluto," meaning "Wealth," was used in its stead. The temple was built into the recesses of the cave where it was believed Persephone descended to and ascended from the underworld every year. In this sense, this small cave at Eleusis was believed to be the entrance to the underworld.
Proctor, Christopher
03-June-2007
Noncommercial Reuse: The author of this work gives permission for this digital image to be reused
without modification for research and educative endeavors. Please cite the digital resource according to the convention provided by Omeka.
image/jpg
524 KB
1280 x 960 pixels
72 PPI
English
Still Image
CG0034
Attikē (Greece)
1500 BCE – 396 CE
The Rape of Persephone
Lekythos
Pottery, Greek
Hades (Greek deity)
Persephone (Greek deity)
This video depicts a funerary lekythos, a vessel used to offer wine and olive oil to the deceased. Lekythoi are similar to other amphorae, but their main distinguishing characteristic was the alabaster color of the vessels surface. This artifact is an exact replica of a lekythos dating to the Classical Era (480 BCE - 323 BCE), and the original is currently housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens. The scene is a depiction of Hades abducting his niece, Persephone, in order to make her his bride in the underworld. The cultic practices associated with this story were central to the mystery initiations held at Eleusis in honor of Demeter and Persephone.
Proctor, Christopher
16-April-2017
Noncommercial Reuse: The author of this work gives permission for this digital image to be reused
without modification for research and educative endeavors. Please cite the digital resource according to the convention provided by Omeka.
video/mp4
4.2 MB
00:25 min
396 x 740 pixels
English
Moving Image
CG0043
Attikē (Greece)
480 BCE - 323 BCE