ANCIENT GREEK ARCHITECTURE | FIELD GUIDE
HISTORICAL SERIES Š2020 MYTHICAL ROUTES
Sanctuary of Cabeiri Religious Center of Thrace The Mysteries of the Cabeiri are much older than the ones of the Orphics. The cult, however, was also widespread in mainland Greece, and one of its centers was the sanctuary of the Cabeiri near Thebes.
! Sanctuary of Cabeiri, Thebes Š 2018 A. Baltoyannis
This cult was associated with that of Demeter the so-called "of the Cabeiri" and used, as opposed to the Orphics, the curvilinear architecture above the ground. Despite this, the worship of the Cabeiri is incorporated into the Eleusinian Mysteries. The cult of the Orphics is Heliocentric (Apollo), the cult of the Cabeiri, on the other hand, is Geocentric (Gaia). Another important difference was that in the Eleusinian Mysteries the initiates had to speak the Greek language, while in the Cabeiri Mysteries anyone could be initiated, Greek or foreign. The geocentric system was supported by Aristotle who with his prestige also influenced the opinion of the christian world against Aristarchus from Samos,
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