PA NATHENXA (flavaNivaza), the greatest of the Athenian festivals, was celebrated in honour of Athena (Minerva) as the guardian deity of the city ('Alliva woarc(s). It is said to have been instituted by Erictho nius, son of Hephaestus (Harpocrat., na.va0.), and to have been called originally Athenwa ('AC/antra) ; but it obtained the name of Pena thenaca in the time of Theseus, in consequence of his uniting into one state the different independent states into which Attica had been previously divided. (Pans., viii., 2, a. 1 ; Plut.,' Thes.,' c. 20 ; Thucyd., ii. 15.) There were two Athenian festivals, which had the name of Pana thenrea : one of which was called the Great Pa.nathenma (aryclAa Ilapaeivata), which was celebrated once in every five years with very great magnificence, and attracted spectators from all parts of Greece ; and the other, the Less Panathenrea (ianpd navaeivara), which was celebrated every year in the Piraeus. (Harpocrat., loc. cit. ; Plato, De Rep.,' i. 1.) When the Greek writers speak simply of the festival of the Panathenaa, it is sometimes difficult to determine which of the two is alluded to ; but when the Panathanma is spoken of by itself, and there is nothing in the context to mark the contrary, the pre sumption is that the Great Panathenma is meant; and it is thus spoken of by Herodotus (v. 56) and Demosthenes (` De Fats. Leg.,' p. 394).
The Great Panathetnea was celebrated on the 28th day of Hecatom bmon (Proclus, quoted by Clinton, ' Fast. Hell.,' p. 325), the first of the Athenian months. which agrees with the account of Demosthenes (' C. Timocr.,' p. 708, 709), who places it after the 12th day of the month. There is considerable dispute as tca.the time in which the Less Pena thenrca was celebrated. dfeursius places its celebration in Thargelion, the eleventh of the Athenian months ; but Petitus and Corsini, in Irecatombxon. Mr. Clinton, who has examined the subject at con siderable length (' Fast. Ilell.; p. 332-335), supports the opinion of dleursius ; and it does not appear improbable that the Less Panathenrea was celebrated in the same month as the Great, and was perhaps omitted in the year in which the great festival occurred. The cele bration of the Great Panathenrea only Lasted one day in the time of Hipparchus (Thucyd., vi. 56); but it was continued in later times for several days.
At both of the Panathen= there were gymnastic games (Pied., lathm.; iv. 42; Pollux, viii. 93), among which the torch-race seems to have been very popular. There were also chariot and horse races. In the time of Socrates, there was introduced at the Less Panathenma a torch-race on horseback. (Plato, De Rep.,' i. 1.) At the Great Panathenwa there was also a musical contest, and a recitation of the Homeric poems by rhapsodists. (Lycurg., ' C. Leocr.; p. 209.) The victors in these contests were rewarded with vessels of sacred oil.
(' Pind., ` Nem.; x. 61, and Scholia ; SchoL on Soph. Oed. CoL; 698.) The most celebrated part however of the Great Panathenaic festival was the solemn procession (srar4), in which the Peplum (IlirAos) or sacred robe of Athena was carried through the Ceramicus and other principal parts of the city to the Parthenon, and suspended before the statue of the goddess within. This Pepina was covered with em broidery (venstAaara, Plato, ' Euthyph.; c. 6), on which was repre sented the Battle of the Gods and the Giants, especially the exploits of Zeus and Athena (Plato, lee. cit. ; Eurip., Hecub.; 468), and also the achievements of the heroes in the Attic mythology, whence Aristophanes speaks of " men worthy of this Land and of the Peplus." (' Equit.; 564.) The embroidery was worked by young virgins of the noblest families in Athena (called of whom two were superintendents, with the name of Arrephone. When the festival was celebrated, the Peplus was brought down from the Acropolis, where it had been worked, and was suspended like a sail upon a ship (Pans., xxix. 1, a. I), which was then drawn through the principal parts of the city. The procession which accompanied it consisted of persons of all ages and both sexes, of foreigners resident at Athena as well as of citizens. The old men carried olive branches in their hands, whence they were called Thallophori (eakAulSpot), and the young men appeared with arms in their bands, at least in the time of Hipparchus. (Thucyd., vi 56.) The young women carried baskets on their heads, whence they were called Canephori (narmcdpot). The sacrifices were very nume rous on this occasion. During the supremacy of Athena every subject state had to furnish an ox for the festival. (Schol. on Aristoph.
Nub.: 335.) It was a season of general joy ; even prisoners were accustomed to be liberated, that they might take part in the general rejoicing. (Schol. on Demoerth. Timocr.; 181.) After the battle of Marathon, it was usual for the herald at the Great Panathenma to pray for the good of the Plateaus as well as of the Athenians. (Herod., vi. 111.) The procession, which has been described above, formed the subject of the bas-reliefs which embellished the outside of the temple of the Parthenon, which are generally known by the name of the Panathenaic frieze. The blocks of marble of which this frieze was originally com posed, were 3 feet 4 inches high, and they formed a connected series of 524 feet in length. A considerable portion of this frieze, which is one of the most splendid of the ancient works of art, is in the British Museum. [ELGIN MARBLES.] A full and detailed account of this festival is given by Meursius, in a work on the subject, which is printed in the seventh volume of the ' Thesaurus' of Gronovius.