As we waited anxiously for the fall to finally arrive and bring some relief from the brutal summer we experienced, the team of myEleusis gathered at the MENTOR offices in Eleusis for the project’s first annual review. myEleusis began in December 2019. It is a high-profile project that will take advantage of a versatile set of innovative digital systems to enhance the visitor experience in the archaeological site of Eleusis, introduce users to the Eleusinian Mysteries, and familiarise them with a ritual that ancient writers described as the greatest gift of the city to humanity.

The “Athena” Research Center presented the dazzling work that has been done in the field of digitisation of movable exhibits and immovable monuments. The end result fully met our expectations and will allow the general public and researchers to get to know the archaeological site and the museum’s treasures with an unprecedented degree of comfort, clarity, and accuracy. The wealth of information provided by the project’s digitisation method surpasses the pleasure of actually seeing the monuments on site.

The archaeologists of the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica are in the process of uploading every exhibit and object of the museum and the sanctuary to the repository that has been created. The images and the accompanying information will enable us to develop other applications and will serve the future needs of Eleusis researchers. The material is already being used by the “Athena” Research Center to create a virtual museum (myEleusis.VM) and the serious games educational application (myEleusis.SG) that will allow users to understand the history of the Eleusinian Mysteries and the exhibits of the permanent and temporary exhibitions at the museum.

There was also a great emphasis on the development of two subsystems that aspire to introduce children and adults to the wonderful world of the Eleusinian Mysteries differently. First, the researchers of “Athena” presented a historical mystery story that will take place in ancient Eleusis (myEleusis.PS) and will allow users to explore the archaeological site as they follow the adventures of a group of fictional and historical characters (Alexis, Lydia, Dionysios, Claudius, and the real-world traveller and geographer Pausanias). CITE, for its part, has undertaken the development of the myEleusis.GA subsystem, a group of playful activities for mobile devices that will accompany visitors as they tour the sanctuary.

The meeting concluded with a presentation by MENTOR regarding myEleusis.Web and myEleusis.Map, two subsystems that will be the face of the project to the general public. myEleusis.Map will allow users to get to know Eleusis, the Sacred Way, and the Eleusinian Mysteries history from the comfort of their homes. myEleusis.Web will integrate most applications and an impressive selection of exhibits from Greece and overseas that prove the timeless and international appeal of the Mysteries.