House of the Ceryces (Heralds)
In the area west of the Greater Propylaea have been excavated buildings that were used by the staff of the Sanctuary. At the foot of the hill, there are remains of a house that is identified as the House of the Ceryces (Heralds).
This place was used by the members of the holy family of the Ceryces for sessions and rituals. This is the second great priestly family from which came the Torch-Bearer, a priest second in rank only to the priest of the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Hierophant, who came from the priestly family of the Eumolpidae.
The edifice is dated to Roman times and comprises on the north a large hall, probably for the sessions of the Priesthood, and on the south three successive rooms. In the middle one of these rooms (room C) a wall-painting came to light with figures of animals and a depiction of Zeus holding a Nike. A libation basin and a small square altar that were found in the same room attest to the sanctity of the space.
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