Prominence of Non-Athenians in Eleusinian Inscriptions

This article assesses the prominence of non-Athenians in Eleusinian epigraphy from the sixth century BC to the third century AD, proposing that such an investigation enables a deeper understanding of non-Athenians’ relationship with religious practices relating to Eleusinian Demeter and Kore while elucidating the contexts in which non-Athenians came to feature in epigraphic narratives. By examining extant inscriptions relating to non-Athenians from Demeter’s sanctuary at Eleusis and the City Eleusinion over the longue durée, this article highlights that non-Athenians feature fairly infrequently in Eleusinian epigraphy between the sixth and second centuries BC, and that fluctuations in their prominence often occur during periods of local upheaval and change. Furthermore, non-Athenians are attested most prolifically in inscriptions from the Roman period, when the epigraphical presentation of Athenians and non-Athenians becomes less sharply defined. Finally, while inscribed narratives concerning non-Athenians shine light upon their relationship with the two Eleusinian sanctuaries, such narratives also perpetuate the image of Athens’ self-proclaimed centrality to Eleusinian Demeter and Kore and their religious practices

Epigraphy · Extant taxon · Inscribed figure · Narrative · Classical Antiquity Studies · Globalization, Historical Perspectives, and International Relations · Interdisciplinary Studies: Technology, Society, and Humanities