Polis and Panathenaia: The history and development of Athena's festival

1275 Pages·2001·39.223 MB·English

by  Shear, Julia Louise

POLIS AND PANATHENAIA:
THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ATHENA’S FESTIVAL
Julia Louise Shear
A Dissertation
in
Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World
Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
2001
Supervisor of Dissertation
Graduate Group Chair
UMI Number: 3015371
Copyright 2001 by
Shear, Julia Louise
All rights reserved.
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Julia Louise Shear
2001
This dissertation is above all for
IMS and TLS
without whom it would never have happened.
Acknowledgments
The origin of this dissertation belongs in my second year in graduate school at a
time when there was much discussion in Greek archaeology of J. B. Connelly’s
interpretation of the Parthenon Frieze, subsequently published in AM 100 (1996). A part
of her argument concerns the various contingents which took part in the procession of the
Panathenaia in the 440’s B.C. In my naivete, I assumed that I could look this information
up in the library; perusal of the relevant holdings in Philadelphia and Athens quickly
revealed that no such book existed. It was pointed out to me by a senior scholar, however,
that the Panathenaia and its history would make an excellent dissertation topic, hence this
volume. It has, in the nature of all research, gone in directions and places which neither of
us ever anticipated.
In the course of this project, many friends, colleagues, and scholars have taken an
interest in my work and discussed the festival with me; some of them now probably know
more about the Panathenaia than they ever wished. First and foremost, I would like to
thank Keith DeVries, my primary supervisor and the chair of my dissertation committee,
and the other members of my committee: Ralph Rosen, Ann Kuttner, and Jeremy
Mclnemey. Their patience and attention to detail have made this dissertation possible and
they have saved me from more errors than I care to remember. Unlike the Hellenistic
Athenians, I can not display my gratitude by voting them a gold crown to be announced at
the new contest of tragedies at the City Dionysia and the gymnastic games of the
Panathenaia and the Eleusinia and the Ptolemaia; I hope that this volume will take the place
of a crown.
V
I have also benefited from the interest of many friends and scholars whose advice
on issues pertaining to Athena’s festival has considerably improved this work. I would
especially like to thank: A. Ajootian, K. A. Barnard, J. Binder, R. Bridges, K. Clinton, D.
Conlin, J. W. Day, J. Farrell, G. Ham, E. M. Harris, S. D. Lambert, M. M. Miles, M. G.
Moore Morison, J. D. Morgan, W. S. Morison, J. H. Oakley, M. J. Osborne, O. Palagia,
K. A. Raaflaub, T. Rusnak, G. Schmaltz, P. Schultz, B. Shaw, I. M. Shear, T. L. Shear,
Jr., A. Stewart, R. S. Stroud, S. V. Tracy, B. Wailes.
For permission to study material under their care, I would like to thank Ch. Kritsas,
his assistant Ch. Karapa-Molizani, and the staff of the Epigraphical Museum in Athens; J.
Jordan and the staff of the Agora Excavation; I. Trianti and A. Choremi, the retired and
current directors of the Akropolis and its museum, and the staffs of the Akropolis, the
Library of Hadrian, and the Theater of Dionysos; E. Zervoudaki and the staff of the
National Archaeological Museum; and Mrs. Papangele and staff of the Eleusis Museum. I
would also like to thank C. Habicht and D. Geagan for permission to study IG II2 3416 to
which they have joined several unpublished fragments.
W. D. E. Coulson and J. P. Muhly, the past and current directors of the American
School of Classical Studies in Athens, kindly facilitated all my requests to examine material
in various museums and provided a home away from home where much of the work for
this dissertation was done. I would also like to thank W. T. Loomis for the Greek
acrophonic numeral font which he gave me long ago. My study of the Panathenaia in both
Athens and Philadelphia was made possible by fellowships and grants from the Kolb
Foundation, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens in the form of the Eugene
Vanderpool Fellowship, the 1984 Foundation, and the Colburn Fund of the University
Museum at the University of Pennsylvania. I am deeply grateful to these institutions for
their financial support. Needless to say, any remaining mistakes are my own.
ABSTRACT
POLIS AND PANATHENAIA:
THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF ATHENA’S FESTIVAL
Julia Louise Shear
Supervisor Keith DeVries
This dissertation provides the first diachronic investigation of the history and
development of the Panathenaia at Athens, the city’s most important festival honoring the
goddess Athena. Previous scholars have either discussed the celebration in the overall
context of Athenian religion or focused on particular details without consideration of the
occasion’s overall development These approaches have been synchronic and they assume
that the festival remained static over the course of its history. Through detailed study of the
extensive literary and epigraphical testimonia and of the relevant visual material, primarily
Panathenaic prize amphorae and victors’ monuments, this project shows that the festivities
changed extensively during the course of their history from their reorganization in 566/5
B.C. until the last decade of the fourth century A.D. It also demonstrates that the
Panathenaia commemorated the gods’ conquest of the Giants and was unified by its victory
theme. As an ‘^all-Athenian” celebration, the occasion also helped to elucidate what it meant
to be an Athenian: public participation in the event
This historical investigation provides the foundation for the study’s second part
concerning the relationship between the Panathenaia and the Athenian topography in which
it was set It shows that celebration activated the citys cape and directly affected the
development of Athens. The festival’s victory and mythological themes were used
repeatedly in the iconographical programs of the monuments and they linked the different
venues to create a Panathenaic network encompassing the city. Studying these
relationships also emphasizes the way in which human military achievements were
assimilated to the divine success so that the Panathenaia also celebrated Athenian martial
victory: to be an Athenian was to be successful in war and to commemorate the city’s
accomplishments at Athena’s festival. The connections between the topography and the
festivities show that, in the Roman period, the occasion continued to emphasize the city’s
military successes, albeit historical rather than current ones, as well as her role as an
important cultural center.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments...................................................................................................... iv
Abstract..................................................................................................................... vi
Table of Contents....................................................................................................... viii
List of Tables............................................................................................................. xiii
List of Figures............................................................................................................ xiv
List of Abbreviations.................................................................................................. xvi
List of Epigraphical Conventions............................................................................... xxiv
Chapter I: The Panathenaia and Athens: An Introduction........................................... I
The Penteteric and Annual Festivals.................................................................... 5
The Evidence and Its Problems............................................................................ 8
The Current Project............................................................................................. 23
Chapter II: Giants and Heroes: The Mythological Foundations of the Panathenaia.... 29
The Gigantomachy and the Festival.................................................................... 31
The Gigantomachy and the Pyrrhiche.................................................................. 38
Erichthonios and the Foundation of the Panathenaia............................................ 43
Erichthonios and Erechtheus............................................................................... 55
Theseus and the Panathenaia............................................................................... 60
The Panathenaia and Athenian Autochthony....................................................... 67
Chapter III: The Small Panathenaia........................................................................... 72
A Law and a Decree on the Small Panathenaia..................................................... 73
The Procession.............................................................................................. 75
The Sacrifices................................................................................................ 76
The Pannychis............................................................................................... 83
Officials and Cult Personnel......................................................................... 84
Financing the Festivities................................................................................ 86
The Procession of the Goddess: Further Evidence.............................................. 87
Athena’s Sacrifices: Additional Material.............................................................. 91
The Annual Peplos.............................................................................................. 97
Personnel............................................................................................................. 103
Contests and the Small Panathenaia.................................................................... 105
Conclusions................................................1....................................................... 115
Chapter IV: The Procession, Ritual, and Cults of the Great Panathenaia.................. 120
The Panathenaic Procession.............................................................................. 122
Marshals and Other Officials........................................................................ 124
The Athenian Military................................................................................... 128
ix
Kanephoroi................................................................................................... 130
Thallophoroi and Skaphephoroi................................................................... 132
Colonists and Allies..................................................................................... 139
The Panathenaic Ship.................................................................................. 143
The Visual Evidence for the Procession....................................................... 155
Sacrifices to Athena and Other Divinities........................................................... 167
The Peplos of Athena......................................................................................... 173
Other Gifts for Athena........................................................................................ 186
Armor for the Goddess................................................................................ 187
Crowns for Athena....................................................................................... 195
Additional Dedications................................................................................. 200
Other Cults Associated with the Panathenaia...................................................... 206
Conclusions....................................................................................................... 226
Chapter V: The Games and Contests of the Great Panathenaia................................ 231
The Gymnastic Games....................................................................................... 241
The Foot-Races............................................................................................ 244
The Pentathlon............................................................................................. 254
Wrestling..................................................................................................... 257
Boxing......................................................................................................... 262
The Pankration............................................................................................. 266
The Hoplites or Race in Armor.................................................................... 271
The Overall Program.................................................................................... 274
The Hippie Games.............................................. 279
The Open Events: Contests for Race-Horses................................................ 280
The Four-Horse Chariot............................................................................... 283
Contests for Two-Horse Vehicles................................................................ 289
A Race for Mule-Carts................................................................................. 293
The Program for the Open Events................................................................ 294
Tribal Hippie Events for Individuals............................................................ 296
The Apobatic Race...................................................................................... 299
Tribal Hippie Events on the Panathenaic Way.............................................. 310
Tribal Hippie Events in the Hippodrome...................................................... 315
The Development of the Individual Tribal Events........................................ 318
Tribal Events for Teams..................................................................................... 322
The Pyrrhiche.............................................................................................. 323
TheEuandria................................................................................................ 331
TheTorch-Race............................................................................................ 335
The Competition for Ships........................................................................... 339
TheAnthippasia.......................................................................................... 340
Competitions for the Cyclic Chorus.............................................................. 345
The Program for Tribal Teams...................................................................... 348
The Musical Games............................................................................................ 350
Contests for the Aulos and the Kithara......................................................... 352
The Rhapsodes............................................................................................. 365
Other Competitions....................................................................................... 368
The Program for the Musical Contests.......................................................... 373
Conclusions........................................................................................................ 376
Chapter VI: Working and Winning for the Goddess................................................ 386
The Prizes........................................................................................................... 388