Historical Background

The Panathenaia was the most important festival of classical Athenai. It was thought to be an observance of Athena's birthday and an occasion to honor the virgin goddess as the city's patron divinity, so naturally, it was a grand celebration, but Panathenaia was also a good opportunity for Athenai to show off her power to the other Hellenic cities.

The festival's origin dates back to 7 BC or earlier. During 6 BC the then fashionable Olympic-styled athletic games were introduced into the religious festival, but it was Peisistratos the tyrant who made it a national spectacle to boost the pride of the citizens and thus secure his footage by enhancing the procession and by adding more games both athletic and literary. Ironically, the festival left an unforgettable mark in the history of Ancient Greece when his son Hipparkhos was assassinated by an aristocratic couple, Aristogeiton and Harmodios, mostly for sentimental reasons rather than for a careful historical consideration, the dawn of Athenian democracy.

The Festival hit the peak under Perikles' reign when he used the birthday of Athena to impress friends and foes alike. It was during this festival when the fellow cities of Delian League brought (or were forced to bring) their tribute mostly in silver, feeding not just the Festival but also the Athenian Naval Empire.

Like the Olympic games, Greater Panathenaia only came around every four years. Lesser Panathenaia was celebrated annually, except for the year of the Great Panathenaia.

Great Panathenaia was the more splendid form of the festival, with a number of public events that included athletic and musical contests, torch and boat races, and of course, the procession to present the new peplos to the goddess.

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