The detailed pendant reflects the artwork from a Classical Greek marble fragment (5th century BC) called "The Exaltation of the Flower”. This piece was inspired by the ancient Greek, Eleusinian mysteries, that were observed regularly from c. 1600 BCE - 392 CE. The mysteries were the secret rituals of the mystery school of Eleusis and celebrated the story of Demeter and Persephone. The initiated were sworn to secrecy on pain of death as to the details of the ritual, we do not know what form these rituals took. Researchers argue that the sacred substance given to participants in the course of the ritual contained a psychoactive entheogen that could have been related to a type of wine or beer. Studying the mysteries through an entheogenic lens might help lead to a new understanding that might drastically change our view of an integral part of ancient history.
