Home›Open Questions›Did the kykeon drunk by initiates at Eleusis contain a psychoactive agent?Open QuestionsDid the kykeon drunk by initiates at Eleusis contain a psychoactive agent?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Did the kykeon drunk by initiates at Eleusis contain a psychoactive agent?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/did-the-kykeon-drunk-by-initiates-at-eleusis-contain-a-psychoactive-agent.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Did the kykeon drunk by initiates at Eleusis contain a psychoactive agent?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/did-the-kykeon-drunk-by-initiates-at-eleusis-contain-a-psychoactive-agentCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-did-the-kykeon-drunk-by-initiates-at-ele, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Did the kykeon drunk by initiates at Eleusis contain a psychoactive agent?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/open-questions-index/did-the-kykeon-drunk-by-initiates-at-eleusis-contain-a-psychoactive-agent}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionWasson, Hofmann and Ruck proposed in 1978 that ergot on the barley was the agent. Critics hold that ergot as it grows is severely toxic and that no ancient technique for separating a psychoactive fraction has been demonstrated, and that fasting, darkness and staging account for the reported experience without pharmacology. The oath of silence means no participant account survives to test either reading against.What would resolve this Residue analysis of drinking vessels securely tied to the Eleusinian sanctuary and to the rite rather than to general sanctuary use, with independent replication.OpenArchaeochemistry and classical archaeologyR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Ruck, The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesCross-Tradition ConnectionsQuestion OnKykeon, Sacred Objects & Ritual Items Well-attested Source The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the MysteriesR. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Rucktier 3SourcesThe Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteriestier 3R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann and Carl A. P. Ruck, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1978View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year