The Panathenaea (or Panathenaia) was a multi-day ancient Greek festival held annually in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

that would always conclude on 28 Hekatombaion, the first month of the

Attic calendar The Attic calendar or Athenian calendar is the lunisolar calendar beginning in midsummer with the lunar month of Hekatombaion, in use in ancient Attica, the ancestral territory of the Athenian polis. It is sometimes called the Greek calendar bec ...

.Shear, Julia L. "Hadrian, the Panathenaia, and the Athenian Calendar". ''Zeitschrift Für Papyrologie Und Epigraphik'' 180 (2012): 159. . The main purpose of the festival was for

Athenians Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and non-Athenians to celebrate the goddess

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

. Every four years, the festival was celebrated in a larger manner over a longer time period with increased festivities and was known as the Great (or Greater) Panathenaea. In the years that the festival occurred that were not considered the Great Panathenaea, the festival was known as the Lesser Panathenaea. The festival consisted of various competitions and ceremonies, culminating with a religious procession that ended in the

Acropolis of Athens The Acropolis of Athens (; ) is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens, Greece, and contains the remains of several Ancient Greek architecture, ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, ...

.Shear, Julia L. Serving Athena: The Festival of the Panathenaia and the Construction of Athenian Identities. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021), 1.

History

The inaugural celebration of the Great Panathenaea occurred in 566 BCE and possibly continued until around 410 CE.Shear, Julia L. Serving Athena: The Festival of the Panathenaia and the Construction of Athenian Identities. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021), 6. Edicts issued by

Theodosius I Theodosius I ( ; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene C ...

in 391 CE banned sacrifices and closed the temples in

, making it very unlikely the festival continued until 410 CE despite some archeological evidence that indicates it may have.Shear, Julia L. Serving Athena: The Festival of the Panathenaia and the Construction of Athenian Identities. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2021), 7. There is some uncertainty surrounding the creation of the festival but Peisistratos is commonly credited with the solidification of the festival in 566 BCE, organizing it and turning it into a significant

Athenian Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

celebration.Voltz, Alexander. "A Festival of Tyrants: The Peisistratids and Their Great Panathenaia, 566-507 B.C." A. D. K. Voltz. October 2020.

Mythology

There are multiple mentions of the founding of the Panathenaea in

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

that most notably include the stories of

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

and Erectheus (also referred to as Erichthonius in mythological texts). The ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

'' holds the earliest mention of the festival and attributes its creation to Erechtheus. The son of

Gaia In Greek mythology, Gaia (; , a poetic form of ('), meaning 'land' or 'earth'),, , . also spelled Gaea (), is the personification of Earth. Gaia is the ancestral mother—sometimes parthenogenic—of all life. She is the mother of Uranus (S ...

and

Hephaestus Hephaestus ( , ; wikt:Hephaestus#Alternative forms, eight spellings; ) is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.Walter Burkert, ''Greek Religion'' 1985: III.2. ...

, Erechtheus created the festival and dedicated it to

after becoming the king of

. In

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

's ''Life of Theseus'', Theseus unifies multiple

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

communities into one state, giving it the name of

and creating a feast known as Panathenaea or "the sacrifice of all the united Athenians".

Religious festival

Banquets

Athenians would begin the festival with a banquet during the first night in the

Agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

where meat would be cut up to be distributed using a ceremonial kopis. There was also a major banquet on the second day and a smaller banquet-style meal after the procession on the last day of the festival where people would eat bread alongside parts of the animals that were sacrificed to

Procession

The most significant aspect of the festival was the procession to the

Acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

on the last day of the festival (28 Hekatombaion), where

would make sacrifices to the goddess

. Such as a Hekatomb (sacrifice of 100 oxen or cows) The night before this procession, the younger population of

would have a vigil known as a pannychis where the people would dance on the Acropolis. During this vigil, the people of Athens would sing a paean for Athena, a song of praise that typically would not be sung at celebrations for Athena but at celebrations for the god

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

instead.Mikalson, Jon D. "Erechtheus and the Panathenaia". ''The American Journal of Philology'' 97, no. 2 (1976): 151. During the Lesser Panathenaea young girls known as arrephoroi would carry a specially woven

peplos A peplos () is a body-length garment established as typical attire for women in ancient Greece by , during the late Archaic Greece, Archaic and Classical Greece, Classical period. It was a long, rectangular cloth with the top edge folded down ab ...

robe to place on the wooden

cult image In the practice of religion, a cult image is a Cultural artifact, human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit or Daimon, daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, incl ...

of Athena located in the Erechtheum, a temple on the north side of the Acropolis that was dedicated to Athena.Stamatopoulou, Z. (2012). Weaving Titans For Athena: Euripides and the Panathenaic Peplos (HEC. 466-74 and IT 218–24). ''The Classical Quarterly'', 62(1), 72. In line with the occurrence of the Great Panthenaea every four years a larger peplos tapestry would be woven to be put on the statue of Athena in the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; ; ) is a former Ancient Greek temple, temple on the Acropolis of Athens, Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the Greek gods, goddess Athena. Its decorative sculptures are considered some of the high points of c ...

, a temple in the centre of the Acropolis. Attica 06-13 Athens 50 View from Philopappos - Acropolis Hill

Athenians would begin their procession in the

Kerameikos Kerameikos (, ) also known by its latinization of names, Latinized form Ceramicus, is an area of Athens, Greece, located to the northwest of the Acropolis, Athens, Acropolis, which includes an extensive area both within and outside the ancient ci ...

neighbourhood and would continue south until they reached the Acropolis. The procession consisted of over 1,000 people from a wide range of backgrounds but was led by the high priestess and the treasurers of the temple followed by the arrephoros carrying the peplos robe.Gerding, Henrik, and Henrick Gerding. "The Erechtheion and the Panathenaic Procession". ''American Journal of Archaeology'' 110, no. 3 (2006): 392. This lead group would be followed by other priests ( hieropoios), priestesses (athlothetai), and unmarried young women (

kanephoros The Kanephoros (, , pl. Kanephoroi (Greek: ); latinate plural form Canephorae; lit. "Basket Bearers") was an honorific office given to unmarried young women in ancient Greece, which involved the privilege of leading the procession to sacrifice at ...

), magistrates, soldiers, athletes, representatives from other states, musicians, and herdsmen among others. The procession would conclude with more than one hundred cows and sheep being sacrificed on the altar of Athena in the Acropolis in a religious ceremony known as a

hecatomb In ancient Greece, a hecatomb (; ; ''hekatómbē'') was a sacrifice of 100 cattle (''hekaton'' "one hundred", ''bous'' "bull") to the Greek gods. In practice, as few as 12 could make up a hecatomb. Although originally the sacrifice of a hundre ...

. Non-Athenians also participated in the procession, with female

metic In ancient Greece, a metic (Ancient Greek: , : from , , indicating change, and , 'dwelling') was a resident of Athens and some other cities who was a citizen of another polis. They held a status broadly analogous to modern permanent residency, b ...

s carrying

hydria The hydria (; : hydriai) is a form of Greek pottery from between the Geometric art, late Geometric period (7th century BC) and the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC). The etymology of the word hydria was first noted when it was stamped on a ...

I and male metics carrying bread used for the meal after the festival or other non-animal offerings on ornate trays known as skaphai.

Competitions

During the festival many competitions were held including a chariot race, a stadion, and various other athletic events.Popkin, Maggie L. "Roosters, Columns, and Athena on Early Panathenaic Prize Amphoras: Symbols of a New Athenian Identity". ''Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens'' 81, no. 2 (2012): 210. There would also be singing and poetry competitions, where participants would perform selections from

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

's ''

'' and ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

''.

Prizes

After the conclusion of the competitions at the festival, prizes were awarded to the victors. The reward that is most synonymous with the festival was the Panathenaic prize amphora with images on the sides that would remain similar year to year. These prize amphoras were filled with valuable high-class sacred

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

and the victors would also sometimes receive monetary prizes in the form of Greek drachma instead of amphoras. The victors’ names were carved into stone victor lists, which were displayed in various parts of

.Tracy, Stephen V. "Agora I 6701: A Panathenaic Victor List of ca. 190 B.C." ''Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens'' 84, no. 4 (2015): 720. They were placed primarily near churches or religious shrines, with the most notable of these places being the

Prize amphoras

The prize amphoras were the major reward victors received during the festival. People in

ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...

associated olive oil with

because of the mythological story of her gifting the first Moria to Athens, using the tree to claim the city over the god

Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...

.Boardman, J., Kathleen M. Kenyon, E. J. Moynahan, and J. D. Evans. "The Olive in the Mediterranean: Its Culture and Use nd Discussion. ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences'' 275, no. 936 (1976): 191. Olive oil and the prize amphoras were associated with power, wealth, and prosperity due to this association with Athena. The standardized versions of these amphoras would typically depict an image of Athena with roosters standing on two columns on each side of the goddess. On the other side of the amphora, there would typically be images related to the event or competition that the amphora was won for. These images were believed to be included in an attempt to show the rest of the world that Athens was the self-proclaimed head of ancient Greek civilization. An armed Athena was meant to indicate that the goddess was the protector of Athens. The roosters supported this image as the people of Athens saw the birds as having a "fighting spirit" with the columns being used to emphasize the rooster's presence.Popkin, Maggie L. "Roosters, Columns, and Athena on Early Panathenaic Prize Amphoras: Symbols of a New Athenian Identity". ''Hesperia: The Journal of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens'' 81, no. 2 (2012): 213-23 Peplos scene BM EastV cropped

Archeological influence

The

Parthenon Frieze The Parthenon frieze is the low-relief Mount Pentelicus#Pentelic marble, Pentelic marble sculpture created to adorn the upper part of the Parthenon's Cella, naos. It was sculpted between and 437 BC, most likely under the direction of Phidias. O ...

is a marble sculpture in the

in the

that has a portion that is interpreted to be depicting people of

participating in the religious procession that takes place during the Panathenaea. There are images of the high priestess, priests, a young girl meant to resemble an

arrephoros An ''Arrephoros'' () was a girl acolyte in the cult of Athena Polias on the Athenian Acropolis. They were seven to eleven years old. According to Pausanias (geographer), Pausanias,Pausanias1.27.3./ref> two ''Arrephoroi'' lived for a year on the Acro ...

, and people herding animals to be sacrificed to the gods.

Current relevance

The Panathenaea ended around the conclusion of the 4th century CE, but it still holds some relevance in the present day. The

Panathenaic Stadium The Panathenaic Stadium (, ) or ''Kallimarmaro'' ( , ) is a multi-purpose stadium in Athens, Greece. One of the main historic attractions of Athens, it is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. A stadium was built on the site o ...

was initially a small racetrack with seating on a hill overlooking the track used for the athletic competitions until it was upgraded in the 4th century BCE by the logographer Lykourgos.Romano, David Gilman. "The Panathenaic Stadium and Theater of Lykourgos: A Re-Examination of the Facilities on the Pnyx Hill". ''American Journal of Archaeology'' 89, no. 3 (1985): 441. He upgraded the track to a small stadium with stone seating, remaining until Herodes Atticus upgraded the stadium again in the middle of the 2nd century CE. He made the stadium much larger and used marble instead of stone. The stadium was abandoned after

banned the festival and was not used again until the Zappas Olympics in the late 19th century CE. Before the inaugural

1896 Summer Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad () and commonly known as Athens 1896 (), were the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), wh ...

the stadium was completely renovated, going on to host both the opening and closing ceremonies as well as a number of the competitions. The stadium has hosted many athletic events since then, most notably the archery competition and marathon finish for the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. One side of the Olympic medals from the 2004 Summer Olympics also depicts an image of the Panathenaic Stadium. It is important to note that the modern Olympic Games are more directly inspired by the

ancient Olympic Games The ancient Olympic Games (, ''ta Olympia''.), or the ancient Olympics, were a series of Athletics (sport), athletic competitions among representatives of polis, city-states and one of the Panhellenic Games of ancient Greece. They were held at ...

than the

Panathenaic Games The Panathenaic Games () were held every four years in Athens in Ancient Greece from 566 BC to the 3rd century AD. These Games incorporated religious festival, ceremony (including prize-giving), athletic competitions, and cultural events hosted ...

References

{{Wiktionary, Panathenaea Festivals in ancient Greece Festivals of Athena Panathenaic Games