Hiera Hodos

vol. VIII p.1400

Hiera Hodos

This was the name of the street from Athens to Eleusis: Harpokrat. (citing Kratinos and Isaios). Phot. lex. Suid. Etym. M. 469, 17. Bekker Anecd. I 266, 6. Dikaiarchos FHG II 266 in Athen. XIII 594 e. [Plut.] vit. X or. 837 c = V 160, 11 B. <10> Two stones nearby at H. Trias (see below) bear the inscription ὅρος τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς Ἐλευσῖνάδε CIA II 1075. IV 505 a. It takes its name from both of the Eleusinian processions, Pfuhl De Atheniensium pompis sacris, Berl. 1900, 36ff. 39ff. Polemon dedicates a whole book to describe it, FHG III 119. For us, Paus. I 36, 3-38, 5 is the most important source. Modern approaches are Preller De via sacra Eleusinia, Ausgew. Aufs. 117ff. <20> Lenormant Monographie de la Voie Sacrée Eleusinienne 1864. Supplements and justifications for these are given by Milchhöfer Erläuternder Text Heft II 15ff. 46. VII/VIII 22ff. on the maps of Attica by Curtius and Kaupert Bl. VI and XXI. Philios Ἐφ. ἀρχ. 1904, 61ff. Frazer Paus. II 484ff. Hitzig-Blümner Paus. I 347ff. Kern vol. V p. 2336f. The descriptions by Vischer Erinnerungen und Eindrücke 92ff. and Buchon La Grèce continentale et la Morée 171ff. are worth reading. <30> The gate at Eridanos formed the starting-point of the Holy Way in Athens. Directly before, the road of tombs veers off to the left, while the Holy Way, here 6.5m wide, passes on the right of the shrine of the Tritopatres and the church of H. Trias. Bruekner Πρακτικὰ τοῦ ἔτους 1910, 55ff. 101ff. Arch. Anz. 1912, 29f. A sketch of the location is in Struck Griechenland I. Athen u. Attika 128. As it continues, <40> the street joins up with the modern road to Eleusis. It went through the olive grove, and crossed the Aigaleos through the pass of Daphni. At its eastern end, where Athens would first appear to those travelling, there was the ostentatious funerary monument which Harpalos had built for his mistress Pythionike, Dikaiarchos (see above). Paus. I 37, 5. The watercolour in Fullylove and McClymont Greece 1906, 174 shows the view. At the top of the pass lies the Daphni Monastery. <50> Around ten minutes further down, the ancient street is preserved, significantly expanded, veering off to the bank of Eleusis, on the right bank of a gorge. There was a sanctuary for Aphrodite at the narrowest section of the pass, Wide Ἀρχ. Ἐφ. 1910, 35ff. At the exit to the pass, where it bent around the mountain spur on the right hand side, the street can be traced again, Philios Athen. Mitt. XIX 165ff. Here, near the beach, it crossed the Reitoi (see there) which hadn't yet been dammed up. <60> Finally, shortly before Eleusis, remains of the ancient bridge have been preserved in the old bed of Kephisos at Eleusis, Philios Ἐφ. ἀρχ. 1892, 106. Two other bridges are attested here by the inscriptions from Eleusis, see the citations in Kern vol. V p.2337.

[Bölte.]

This article is referenced by: Eleusis (1), Iakchos