11 Athens and the Panathenaic Festival

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11 Athens and the Panathenaic Festival

• A Crown Games wannebe

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Some Athenian History

• Athens a late-comer among major Greek states
• Athenians claimed to be AUTOCHTHONOUS, that they
  had sprung from the soil of Athens and always
  lived there
• Archaeology shows it is true Athens was not
  abandoned at the end of the Bronze Age. Athena
  was the Mycenaean palace god and the Acropolis
  was the site of the palace.

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Athens in the 6th Century
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Athens at its peak in the 5th Century
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The Panathenaia
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The Panathenaia in the cycle of Olympiads
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The Acropolis of Athens
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Panathenaic Festival
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Processional Route (in the Roman period) up from
the Agora
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Up to the lower slope of the Acropolis the
mountains surrounding Athens appear
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Here the route jogs right to reach the gentler
western side
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The western approach to the Acropolis was
monumentalized in the late 5th c. with the
Propylaia, a huge marble entranceway
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Emerging from the Propylaia, you have the
Parthenons west facade filling your vision. The
parade went around to the entrance on the east
and presented the peplos to Athena inside
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The cult statue of Athena in the Parthenon was
made of ivory and gold, work of Pheidias (who
also designed the temple, as well as that of
Zeus at Olympia). The statue is lost but known
from dozens of copies in miniature.
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The Stadium of Herodes Atticus (built AD
130-140), before restoration for the first modern
Olympics 1896
The circle at the near end was an
improvised gladiatorial arena.
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The Stadium of Herodes Atticus today
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Rewards for Athenian athletes

• Good evidence says that Solon (ca. 580 BC)
  REDUCED cash rewards to Athenian citizens who won
  at Olympia to 500 drachmas ( millions of ) and
  100 for winners at Isthmia.

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Rewards for Athenian athletes

• Beside the cash reward, Athenian victors
  received
• SITESIS free meals in the prytaneion, town hall
• and
• PROHEDRIA official seats at all public events

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Panathenaic Prizes

• To popularize the Panathenaic games and attract
  the best athletes, Athens offered prizes with
  real value (Arete sec 120)
• 40-50 amphoras of olive oil for the Heavy Events
• ( maybe 50,000)
• Note that olive oil from Athenas sacred grove is
  a close parallel for the vegetation of the Crown
  Games although it has a real cash value.
• Prizes for artistic events were cold cash

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The Panathenaic Amphora

• a durable ancient brand

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The Panathenaic Amphora
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The real ones are large. Athletes kept some for
trophies they must have sold the rest for cash
after the games!