Mystery 20 Performing Arts Initiator – Narrative Archaeology

By means of a specially curated route through the archaeological site of Eleusis, the project aims to introduce an original perspective on notions of History, Time, and Space wherein visitors’ curiosity about the past and archaeological ruins becomes a shared human experience.

Every archaeological site conceals a narrative and cloaks the passage of time. Every archaeological site constitutes a silent chronicle. It is a necropolis, a city of ghosts and shadows, a theatrical stage of human history. How can we best access this shadowy realm? What path should we follow? How can a fragment acquire a voice? And how can we discern the traces left by past users and visitors?

Narrative Archaeology, adapted for the sanctuary of Demeter at Ancient Eleusis, capitalises on the potential relationship between archaeology and the performing arts, stones and traces, the human body and memory, visitors and a site.

Narrative Archaeology experiments with the specific conditions that enable a site to tell its unique story to visitors in the form of a vivid, interactive experience. As part of this approach, the performing arts can provide a living presence that navigates the sanctuary and gives voice to unspoken aspects of the past.