Eleusis was part of Attica (mainly known for Athens) and the site where people were initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Demeter worked as a nurse at Eleusis while she was grieving over her lost daughter, Persephone. She tried to make baby Demophoon immortal but was caught in the extraordinary act by the boy's mother. Enraged by the intrusion, Demeter told the people of Eleusis to build her a temple and to perform what became known as the Eleusinian rites to appease her.
The two women in the frieze are Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, but the middle figure may be Triptolemus, Eumolpos, Demophon, or Ploutos. For more, see Demeter and Persephone.
