Before the Procession
The evening before the procession a relay race was held. The run began at the altar of Prometheus, located on the outskirts of the city near Plato's Academy, and ended at the altar to Athena on the Acropolis. Forty runners, four from each deme, ran the 2.5 kilometers (about 1.5 miles) to the Acropolis. Rather than a baton, as we would expect today, the runners passed a torch. This added a layer of difficulty to the relay race, the runners had to keep their torch lit as they ran. We see torch races depicted on many vases because they were not only a part of the Panathenaic festival, but also the Panhellenic games! Here are a couple of examples:
The Procession
The procession was the heart of the Panathenaic Festival and therefore took place on the eighth and final day; this was also said to be Athena's birthday. The procession was a sort of ancient parade, which consisted of many, but not all, members of the Ancient Athenian community. Slaves and metics' participation in festivals was highly restricted when the Panathenaea first took place, but these rules loosened as years passed; at some point, metics were allowed to participate in the procession but were not allowed to pass through the Propylea on the Acropolis, because this was considered sacred Athenian ground. At the forefront of the procession were four young girls carrying the peplos for Athena Polis (we'll talk more about the peplos ceremony later), followed immediately by the priestesses of Athena and gift-bearing Athenian women. Next came the sacrificial animals, metics bearing offerings of cakes and honeycombs, and musicians playing various instruments. In the center of the procession came the peplos for Athena Parthenos, which was so large that it had to rest on the mast of a ship pushed along the Panathenaic Way on wheels. Following the peplos were older men with olive branch offerings, chariots driven by men in full armor, and the weavers of the peplos. Next came the infantry and cavalry of the Athenian army and victors from the Panathenaic Games. Last in the procession were ordinary Athenian citizens, who were arranged by deme.
The procession walked along a path called the Panathenaic Way, which began in Kerameikos, at the Dipylon Gate, and ended at the Acropolis, passing many significant Athenian landmarks along the way. Kerameikos was the site of both the potters’ district and a cemetery in Ancient Athens; this means that the procession not only ended but also began, in a sacred place that ties in the history of the Athenian people. The Athenians were proud of their ancestors and their history, so it is fitting that they connected this pride with the key aspect of their religious festival. The Panathenaic Way also trails through the ancient agora, which was the political and social center of the city. The procession trails through the Athenians' core values throughout their city; by walking through the agora, they demonstrate their respect for and pride of their direct democracy and the society they have built around it. The procession ends at the Acropolis, the religious heart of Ancient Athens. As I said, once they reached the Propylea, the metics might have had to step out of the procession, since only Athenian citizens were allowed on the Acropolis. Once the Athenians passed through the Propylea, they walked to the altar of Athena in front of the Erechtheion. This marked the end of the procession and the beginning of the peplos ceremony.
The Peplos Ceremony
A new peplos, which is a sort of dress, was weaved by Athenian women each year. The peplos was thought to be made of bright colors with intricate designs; there are even indications that Greek women used weaving to tell stories before storytelling on vases in the geometric period came to be. Weaving was considered a woman's task, and her ability to do so well allowed her to demonstrate her capabilities as a mother and entrepreneur. Because of this tradition, the weaving of the peplos for Athena involved many women, from young girls to older married women. Athena was, among many other things, the goddess of weaving, so it is fitting that the peplos ceremony was such a production for the Athenians. Learn more about the background of the peplos here!
While we cannot know for sure, many believe that the frieze of the Parthenon depicts the Panathenaic Procession. The cloth you see below on the right is what is generally believed to be the passing of the peplos. The young child seems to be passing the cloth to a man wearing an unbelted tunic, leading historians to believe that he could have been a priest; the child could have been a young girl, who had carried the peplos during the ceremony, or it could have been a boy, who may have been a temple-server.
Learn more about the frieze here!
Sacrifices and Feasting
After the peplos ceremony had been completed came the ritual sacrificing of the animals that had been led in the procession. The Athenians sacrificed 100 oxen, and rather than leaving the meat for the gods and letting it go to waste, it was distributed to the people. Thus, the great feasting of the festival began. For some Athenians, this was the only time that they were able to eat meat, so you can imagine how much they might have looked forward to the festival!
Reflection
Since we studied the Parthenon on the first day of our study abroad I have found the peplos ceremony to be very intriguing. I love the idea that Athenian women are the core of the peplos ceremony, and that their art is appreciated in such a large way. We see many examples of the Athenians being proud of their identity, but I think that the procession and peplos ceremony tops the list. To begin at Kerameikos where Athenian ancestors are buried, pass through the agora where democracy was founded, and end atop the scared acropolis is a truly beautiful journey. These traditions show the Athenians' love for, appreciation of, and pride of Athena's choosing Athens as her home city.
Sources
“Ancient Greek Festivals - Panathenaea.” Athens - Greece, www.athens-greece.us/panathenaea/panathenaic-procession/.
HǺLAND , EVY JOHANNE. Athena’s Peplos: Weaving as a Core Female Activity in Ancient and Modern Greece . www.arch.uoa.gr/fileadmin/arch.uoa.gr/uploads/images/evy_johanne_haland/e_j_haland_cosmos_20.pdf.
Harvard. From the Harvard Art Museums' Collections Bell Krater (Bowl for Mixing Wine and Water): Torch Race, www.harvardartmuseums.org/art/288090.
“PANATHENAIC FESTIVAL.” ATHENIAN DAILY LIFE, www.faculty.umb.edu/gary_zabel/Courses/Morals%20and%20Law/M+L/Plato/rligious.htm
“Temple-Relief: British Museum.” The British Museum, www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1816-0610-19.
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