Over the course of the previous lectures, the relationship between Demeter's action among humans and the growth of cereals has become increasingly clear. As a result, it makes sense to posit, at least as a preliminary hypothesis, that the festivals celebrated in her honor are linked to this specific action of the goddess in the world, even if an understanding of the rituals that mark the agrarian cycle can only be enriched by the integration of other dimensions, whether anthropological, sociological or political.
Demeter's karpoi are above all the " dry " fruits of agricultural production, namely cereals and legumes. Between the cultivation of seedlings and that of plantations that characterize Greek agriculture, it is the former that Demeter takes charge of, while Dionysus is more concerned with the latter. The " use of the fields " to which Hesiod's Works and Days bear witness is centered on Demeter's erga to be performed throughout the seasons. But to this cycle of work - which is the responsibility of men under the aegis of Demeter - is added the vegetative cycle itself - which the gods control. The ambivalence of the expression Δημήτερος ἔργα lies in the double scope of the genitive : it refers both to agricultural work, but also to the actions of the goddess herself on plant life. It is therefore the virtuous circle of exchange between men and gods that the festivals linked to the land of seeds outline. Here, we analyze data from Attic documents, and briefly compare them with the calendar of agrarian festivals on the island of Mykonos.
