In 1859 the well-known relief from Eleusis (pl. 1Io, fig. i) was discovered in the ruins of a Byzantine church on the edge of the ancient sanctuary. It is now in the National Museum in Athens,2 and it shows two female figures, facing toward the center, the one on the right holding a torch, the one to the left a sceptre, with a boy, looking to the left, standing between them. Although the iconography of the relief is uncertain, the two women are generally agreed to represent Demeter, to the left, and Persephone, to the right, the boy, Triptolemos. The universal reticence of ancient authors regarding the Precinct of the Mysteries prevents our connecting the relief with any dated building.8 Moreover, since its discovery was accompanied by no other remains of the Classical Period and there is no epigraphical evidence, its date must be determined on stylistic grounds alone. At first glance, however, the style of the relief is confusing because it is a blend of mannerisms associated with the Strong Style of the Transitional Period and others typical of the third quarter of the fifth century. The prominence of several elements which seem reminiscent of the earlier period has prompted some scholars to propose a date toward the middle of the fifth century.4 These elements are: the severe, plain hair of the Demeter and the Triptolemos; the straight, thick folds extending from the waist to the foot of the Demeter's peplos; and the incomplete foreshortening of the Triptolemos' left arm. Other archaeologists, influenced by the appearance of recognized mannerisms of a later date, such as the light chiton which shows below the himation of the Persephone, have labeled it Phidian.' In the latest edition of The Sculpture and Sculptors of the G eeks Miss Richter has tended to adopt the latter view and has reduced the date proposed in the first edition by ten years, from 450-440 to 4404306' The purp se of the present pap r is to elucidate the grounds for the later da e. Its object is first to establish that the appearance of mannerisms from the Transitional Style does not necessitate the attributi n of the reli f to that period; next, to support a date in the decade 440-430 by specific stylistic comparison of the Eleusis Relief with the Parthenon Frieze, which is known to date from the years 442438.' Before turning to the sculpture of the Parthenon, however, we must show that the archaic elements found on the relief were active in the technical vocabulary of the Greek artist even into the fourth century.