The Eleusinian Mysteries by Charles River Editors

A short book to try and shed some "light" (pun intended) on this ancient religious rite and initiation.

The Mysteries go back far beyond the classical period and were widely celebrated throughout the Greek world, especially in Athens, well into the Roman period.  Given the vast participation over so many centuries, it's incredible that the Mysteries remain largely just that, a mystery.  Because participants were sworn to secrecy, punishable by death for revealing its secrets, very little is known about the institution.

The author, however, does an enviable job of tying together bits of data from the early writers, dramatists and other sources to outline the process of participating in the Mysteries.  As to the core of the rites themselves, almost nothing is known to this day.

I'm looking forward to visiting the site of the Mysteries in modern Elefsina this coming fall!