Greek festivals Flashcards
What is a festival
A day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons
Name two Greek festivals
Great Panathenia and City Dionysia
Who was the great panathenia dedicated to
Athena, patron goddess of Athens
Which mythical hero was said to have held the first panathenia festival
Theseus
What did the panathenia celebrate
Athenas birthday
How long were the panathenia and great panathenia
Panathenia lasted 5 days, great panathenia lasted 8 days
When the the panathenia and great panathenia held
Panathenia held every year, great panathenia held every 4 years
When did the great panathenia start
566BC
Who took part in the panathenia festivals
Only the Athenian people
List the 8 events that took place in the great panathenia
-Rhapsodic and musical contests
-The stadion
-Wresting
-Boxing
-Pankration
-Pentathlon
-Equestrian events
-Tribal contests
What were rhapsodic music contests like
-Verses recited from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
-Four main competitions which the aulos(oboe) and the Kithara(harp) would accompany
What was the sporting events like
-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
What was the Stadion like
-Running event in which competitors would run the length of the stadium
What was Wrestling like
-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
What was Boxing like
-Competitors would not wear any protective head gear
-Athletes wrapped leather strips around knuckles
-Objective was to knock down opponent
What was Pankration like
-Translates to ‘all strength’
-Mixture of boxing and wrestling
-No eye gouging or biting
What was the Pentathlon like
-Discus, javelin, long jump, stadion and wrestling
What was the equestrian events like
-Fourth day, four horse chariot race
-Mounted javelin contests
-Apobates took place on seventh day
-Prizes went to owner of horse, not the rider
What was the Apobates
Fully armoured charioteers dismounting their chariots while racing, running alongside them then mounting them again
What were tribal contests like
-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
What was the procession like in the great panathenia
-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
What would be given to the statue of Athena
Peplos, a purple robe
Where would the sacrifice in the Panathenia take place
At the Altar to Athena Polias in the Parthenon
What is the Peplos and describe it
-Purple robe with yellow blue and purple flowers
-Peplos displayed Athena’s victories
-Peplos delivered on a ship
-Saffron thread
How is the great panathenia exciting
-Sporting and tribal competitions
-Cheer for your tribe, sense of belonging
-Listen to exciting myths as rhapsodies
How does the great panathenia honour the gods
-Procession around giving Peplos, showing gratitude to Athena
-Torch race, winner lights sacrificial flame
-Amphorae with Athena on it
What were opportunities to participate in the great panathenia like
-Only Athenians, showing patriotism
-Tribal contests
-Range of sports+ different types of events
-Women could not compete in sporting events
How does the great panathenia celebrate the city
-Holiday time, break from work
-Community spirit
-Bring people together
Which day was when Athenians presented Athena with her gift
Sixth day
What scenes were on a Peplos
Battle between gods of Olympus and the giants
What was included in the Panatheniac sacrifice
100 oxen and other animals offered to Athena (hecatomb)
Who was the city dionysia dedicated to, and what is he dedicated to?
Dionysus, god of theatre, revelry and wine
When was the city dionysia founded
Sixth century BC
What did the Athenians do to the statue of dionysus at first
They originally rejected it
Where was the statue of dionysus from
Eleutherae
What made the Athenians decide to take the statue in
A plague took place and they believed it was from Dionysus because they didn’t take the statue in
When did the city dionysia take place
March, springtime festival
How long was the city dionysia
5 days long
Where does the parade in the city dioynsia start and end
Gate of Athens to the sanctuary of Dionysus
Where was the sanctuary of Dionysus
South side of Acropolis
What was important about the place of the altar of Dionysus
It was in the centre of an open space which showed it was the central part of the festival
What is a pompe
Grand procession
When did the pompe take place
Morning of first day
What was the pompe like
-Resembled a carnival
-People would carry traditional sacrificial objects : Such as animals, fruits, model phalluses
Why would people carry model phalluses in the pompe
Honour of Dionysus who was god of fertility and recreation
When was the libation sacrifice in the city dionysia, and who did it?
Second day, generals of Athens poured libations for Olympic gods
How much did the theatrical contest cost
Costed 2 obols, days wage for unskilled worker. Only wealthy in society could attend theatre
What was set up so poor people could attend the theatrical contests
A theoric fund was set up for the poor
How long could a single play last
10 mins
What were the two types of plays
Comedy and tragedy
What was comedy plays like in the city dionysia
-Themes were war, politics and social life
-Characters had reversed roles
Example of comic playwright
Aristophanes, 11 plays
What were tragic plays like
-Inspired by well-known mythic and historical events of the past
-Focused on human suffering and sought to ask questions about human nature
Structure of tragic plays
Performed in trilogies + 1 satyr play
What were satyr plays like
-Comic respite after tragic plays
-Theme was mythological and did not relate to the tragedies
How was the plays judged
-Each judge wrote the plays in order of preference and placed it in a urn
-The eponymous archon drew fire of the ten lists
What was the prize for winning the play award
A garland of ivy
What was the Eponymous archon’s role in the city dionysia
-Organiser of event
-Elected every year
-Selected 3 tragic and 5 comic playwrights
-Chose choregos
How many plays did tragic and comic playwrights make
-Tragic playwrights made 3 plays+1 satyr
-Comic playwrights made 1 play each
Who was the choregos
-Payed for the city dionysia and festival, financial sponsor
What type of actors were selected for the plays
Professionals, Amateurs and Dithyramb
Who were the dithyramb
-100 members from each tribe took part(1000 people)
-Choral done to Dionysus(included everyone in society)
-Women were not allowed to act
What would they do the night before the city dionysia
-Torchlight procession
-Carry wooden horse into city that was given from Eleutherae
