Greek festivals Flashcards

1
Q

What is a festival

A

A day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons

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2
Q

Name two Greek festivals

A

Great Panathenia and City Dionysia

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3
Q

Who was the great panathenia dedicated to

A

Athena, patron goddess of Athens

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4
Q

Which mythical hero was said to have held the first panathenia festival

A

Theseus

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5
Q

What did the panathenia celebrate

A

Athenas birthday

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6
Q

How long were the panathenia and great panathenia

A

Panathenia lasted 5 days, great panathenia lasted 8 days

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7
Q

When the the panathenia and great panathenia held

A

Panathenia held every year, great panathenia held every 4 years

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8
Q

When did the great panathenia start

A

566BC

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9
Q

Who took part in the panathenia festivals

A

Only the Athenian people

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10
Q

List 5 events that took place in the great panathenia

A

-Rhapsodic and musical contests
-The stadion
-Wresting
-Boxing
-Pankration
-Pentathlon
-Equestrian events
-Tribal contests

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11
Q

What were rhapsodic music contests like

A

-Verses recited from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
-Four main competitions; aulos(oboe) and the Kithara(harp)

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12
Q

What was the sporting events like

A

-3 out of 8 days in great panathenia
-Women could not compete
-Winners received a varied amount of Panatheniac amphorae, filled with olive oil
-Only Athenians could compete

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13
Q

What was the Stadion like

A

-Running event in which competitors would run the length of the stadium

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14
Q

What was Wrestling like

A

-Theseus introduced wrestling as a sporting contest after defeating King Cercyon of Eleusis
-Competitors attempted to get opponent onto their back
-Competitors covered themselves in oil

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15
Q

What was Boxing like

A

-Competitors would not wear any protective head gear
-Athletes wrapped leather strips around knuckles
-Objective was to knock down opponent

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16
Q

What was Pankration like

A

-Translates to ‘all strength’
-Mixture of boxing and wrestling
-No eye gouging or biting

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17
Q

What was the Pentathlon like

A

-Discus, javelin, long jump, stadion and wrestling

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18
Q

What was the equestrian events like

A

-Fourth day, four horse chariot race
-Mounted javelin contests
-Apobates took place on seventh day
-Prizes went to owner of horse, not the rider

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19
Q

What was the Apobates

A

Fully armoured charioteers dismounting their chariots while racing, running alongside them then mounting them again

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20
Q

What were tribal contests like

A

-Open to Athenians, who competed their 10 tribes
-First event was strength trails
-Second was the boat race, took place in port time of Piraeus
-Third was a war dance competition accompanied by aulous

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21
Q

What was the procession like in the great panathenia

A

-Evening before procession an all night celebration took place on the Acropolis
-Torch race from Diplion gate to the Acropolis
-Winners torch for sacrificial offering

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22
Q

What would be given to the statue of Athena

A

Peplos, a purple robe

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23
Q

Where would the sacrifice in the Panathenia take place

A

At the Altar to Athena Polias in the Parthenon

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24
Q

What is the Peplos and describe it

A

-Purple robe with yellow blue and purple flowers
-Peplos displayed Athena’s victories
-Peplos delivered on a ship
-Saffron thread

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25
Q

How is the great panathenia exciting

A

-Sporting and tribal competitions
-Cheer for your tribe, sense of belonging
-Listen to exciting myths as rhapsodies

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26
Q

How does the great panathenia honour the gods

A

-Procession around giving Peplos, showing gratitude to Athena
-Torch race, winner lights sacrificial flame
-Amphorae with Athena on it

27
Q

What were opportunities to participate in the great panathenia like

A

-Only Athenians, showing patriotism
-Tribal contests
-Range of sports+ different types of events
-Women could not compete in sporting events

28
Q

How does the great panathenia celebrate the city

A

-Holiday time, break from work
-Community spirit
-Bring people together

29
Q

Which day was when Athenians presented Athena with her gift

A

Sixth day

30
Q

What scenes were on a Peplos

A

Battle between gods of Olympus

31
Q

What was included in the Panatheniac sacrifice

A

100 oxen and other animals offered to Athena (hecatomb)

32
Q

Who was the city dionysia dedicated to, and what is he dedicated to?

A

Dionysus, god of theatre, revelry and wine

33
Q

When was the city dionysia founded

A

Sixth century BC

34
Q

What did the Athenians do to the statue of dionysus at first

A

They originally rejected it

34
Q

Where was the statue of dionysus from

A

Eleutherae

35
Q

What made the Athenians decide to take the statue in

A

A plague took place and they believed it was from Dionysus because they didn’t take the statue in

36
Q

When did the city dionysia take place

A

March, springtime festival

37
Q

How long was the city dionysia

A

5 days long

38
Q

Where does the parade in the city dioynsia start and end

A

Gate of Athens to the sanctuary of Dionysus

39
Q

Where was the sanctuary of Dionysus

A

South side of Acropolis

40
Q

What was important about the place of the altar of Dionysus

A

It was in the centre of an open space which showed it was the central part of the festival

41
Q

What is a pompe

A

Grand procession

42
Q

When did the pompe take place

A

Morning of first day

43
Q

What was the pompe like

A

-Resembled a carnival
-People would carry traditional sacrificial objects : Such as animals, fruits, model phalluses

44
Q

Why would people carry model phalluses in the pompe

A

Honour of Dionysus who was god of fertility and recreation

45
Q

When was the libation sacrifice in the city dionysia, and who did it?

A

Second day, generals of Athens poured libations for Olympic gods

46
Q

How much did the theatrical contest cost

A

Costed 2 obols, days wage for unskilled worker. Only wealthy in society could attend theatre

47
Q

What was set up so poor people could attend the theatrical contests

A

A theoric fund was set up for the poor

48
Q

How long could a single play last

A

10 mins

49
Q

What were the two types of plays

A

Comedy and tragedy

50
Q

What was comedy plays like in the city dionysia

A

-Themes were war, politics and social life
-Characters had reversed roles

51
Q

Example of comic playwright

A

Aristophanes, 11 plays

52
Q

What were tragic plays like

A

-Inspired by well-known mythic and historical events of the past
-Focused on human suffering and sought to ask questions about human nature

53
Q

Structure of tragic plays

A

Performed in trilogies + 1 satyr play

54
Q

What were satyr plays like

A

-Comic respite after tragic plays
-Theme was mythological and did not relate to the tragedies

55
Q

How was the plays judged

A

-Each judge wrote the plays in order of preference and placed it in a urn
-The eponymous archon drew fire of the ten lists

56
Q

What was the prize for winning the play award

A

A garland of ivy

57
Q

Who was the Eponymous archon

A

-Organiser of event
-Elected every year
-Selected 3 tragic and 5 comic playwrights
-Chose choregos

58
Q

How many plays did tragic and comic playwrights make

A

-Tragic playwrights made 3 plays+1 satyr
-Comic playwrights made 1 play each

59
Q

Who was the choregos

A

-Payed for the city dionysia and festival, financial sponsor

60
Q

What type of actors were selected for the plays

A

Professionals, Amateurs and Dithyramb

61
Q

Who were the dithyramb

A

-100 members from each tribe took part(1000 people)
-Choral done to Dionysus(included everyone in society)
-Women were not allowed to act

62
Q

What would they do the night before the festival

A

-Torchlight procession
-Carry wooden horse into city that was given from Eleutherae