Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

PANATHENAEA. PANATHENAEA. 855
et l'Admienistr. dce l'Etat fdatif des Biotie2s, ill (Thucd. vi. 56), and which was in all probability
the MeIm. de l'Acad. des Insceript. vol. viii. (1827) the last day of the festival, for it is expressly stated
p. 214, &c.; Wachsmuth, Hell. Alt. vol. i. p. 176. that the festival lasted for several days. (Schol. ad
2d edit. [L. S.] Eurip. Hecub. 464; Aristid. Panath. p. 147.) We
PANATHENAEA (rlava0oiata), the greatest have, moreover, every reason to suppose with
and most splendid of the festivals celebrated in Biickh, that the great Panathenaea took place on
Attica in honour of Athena, in the character of the same days of the month of Hecatombaeon, on
Athena Polias, or the protectress of the city. It which the lesser Panathenaea were held, and that
was said to have been instituted by Erichthonius the latter were not celebrated at all in those years
(Harpocrat. s. v. Ila'aOrivata; Marm. Par. Ep. 10), in which the former fell. Now if, as we have
and its original name, until the time of Theseus, supposed, the lesser Panathenaea commenced on
was believed to have been Athenaea; but when the 17th, and the last day of the greater festival
Theseus united all the Atticans into one body, this fell on the 28th of Hecatombaeon, we may perhaps
festival, which then became the common festival of be justified in believing that the lesser as well as
all Atticans, was called Panathenaea. (Paus. viii. the greater Panathenaea lasted for twelve days,
2. ~ 1; Plut. Thles. 24; Apollod. iii. 14. ~ 6; that is, from the 17th to the 28th of HecatomHygin. Poet. A stron. ii. 13; Suid. s. v. IlavaOe'aaa.) baeon. This time is not too long, if wve consider
According to this account it would seem as if the that the ancients themselves call the Panathenaea
name of the festival were derived from that of the the longest of all festivals (Schol. ad Asistopi. Nub.
city; but the original name Athenaea was un- 385), and if we bear in mind the great variety of
doubtedly derived from that of the goddess, and games and ceremonies that tool: place during the
the subsequent appellation Panathenaeanlerely sig- season. When the distinction between the greater
nifies the festival of Athena, common to or cele- and lesser Panathenaea was introduced, is not cerbrated by all the Attic tribes conjointly. Pana- tain, but the former are not mentioned before 01.
thenaea are indeed mentioned as having been cele- 66. 3 (Thucyd. vi. 56, i. 20; Herod. v. 56), and
brated previous to the reign of Theseus (Apollod. it may therefore be supposed that they were iniii. 15. ~ 7; Diod. iv. 60), but these writers stituted a short time before 01. 66, perhaps by
merely transfer a name common in their own days Peisistratus, for about his time certain innovations
to a time when it was not yet applicable. The were made in the celebration of the Panathenaea,
Panathenaea, which, as far as the character implied as is mentioned below. The principal difference
in the name is concerned, must be regarded as an between the two festivals was, that the greater
institution of Theseus, were celebrated once in one was more solemn, and that on this occasion
every year. (Harpocrat. Suid. s. v.) All writers the peplus of Athena was carried to her temple in
who have occasion to speak of this festival agree a most magnificent procession which was not held
in distinguishing two kinds of Panathenaea, the at the lesser Panathenaea.
greater and the lesser, and in stating that the The solemnities, games, and amusements of the
former was held every fourth year (WrevTasTr1pis), Panathenaea were: rich sacrifices of bulls, foot,
while the latter was celebrated once in every horse, and chariot races, gymnastic and musical
year. Libanius (Asrgum. ad Demsosth. Mid. p. 510), contests, and the lampadephoria; rhapsodists reby mistake calls the lesser Panathenaea aTpLErnVpis. cited the poems of Homer and other epic poets,
The time, when the lesser Panathenaea (which philosophers disputed, cock-fights were exhibited,
are mostly called Panathenaea, without any epithet, and the people indulged in a variety of other
while the greater are generally distinguished by amusements and entertainments. It is, however,
the adjective/?yaAda) were celebrated,,is described not to be supposed that all these solemnities
by h'roclus (ad Plat. Tim. p. 26, &c.) in a vague and games took place at the Panathenaea from
manner as'ollowing the celebration of the Bendi- the earliest times; Gymnastic contests, horse and
deia; from which Meursius infers that the Pana- chariot races and sacrifices are mentioned in the
thenaea were held on the day after the Bendideia, legends belonging to the period anterior to the
that is, on the 20th of Thargelion. Petitus (Leg. reign of Theseus. (Apollod. and Diod. 11. cc.;
Att. p. 18), on the other hand, has shown from Plut. Thes. 24.) The prize in these contests was
Demosthenes (c. Tinzocrat. p. 708), that the Pana- a vase with some oil from the ancient and sacred
thenaea must have fallen in the month of Heca- olive tree of Athena on the Acropolis. (Pind. enz.
tombaeon, and Corsini (Fast. Att. ii. 357, &c.) x. 35, &c.; Schol. ad Soph. Oed. Col. 698.) A
has further proved from the same passage of De- great many of such vases, called Panathenaic vases
mosthenes, that the festival must have commenced (&/ueopeo' fIaleaOwrnaKol, Athen. v. p. 199), have in
before the 20th of this month, and we may add late years been found in Etruria, southern Italy,
that it was probably on the 17th. Clinton (Fast. Sicily, and Greece. They represent on one side
Hell. ii. p. 332, &c.) has revived the opinion of the figure of Athena, and on the other the various
Meursius. (Compare H. A. MUller, Panathenaica, contests and games in which these vases were
c. 3.) given as prizes to the victors. The contests themThe great Panathenaea were, according to the selves have been accurately described from these
unanimous accounts of the ancients, a pentaeteris, vases by Ambrosch (Annal. dell' Instit. 1833. p. 64
and were held in the third year of every Olympiad. -89), and the probable order in which they took
(Bhckh, Staatsl. ii. p. 165, &c.) Proclus (ad Plat. place has been defined by MUller (I. c. p. 80, &c.).
Timn. p. 9) says that the great Panathenaea were The poems of Homer were read by rhapsodists
held on the 28th of Hecatombaeon. This state- only at the great Panathenaea (Lycurg. c. Leocrat.
ment, however, must not lead us to suppose that p. 161), and this custom commenced in the time of
the great Panathenaea only lasted for one day; Pisistratus or of his son Hipparchus, after these
but Proclus in mentioning this particular day was poems had been collected. Afterwards the works
probably thinking of the most solemn day of the of other epic poets also were recited on this occafestival on which the great procession took place sion. (Plat. lIisparc/h. p. 228, b; Aelian, V. Hi.
3 4