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The Athenian Festival Calendar

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intercalation = adding a month. new year = day of new moon following summer solstice = 6/22/2001 ... extra month added for intercalation when necessary. 9/4/09 ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: The Athenian Festival Calendar


1
The Athenian Festival Calendar
  • The Calendar Generally
  • The Festival Calendar
  • The Other Calendar
  • The Months of the Festival Year
  • Every Month
  • What was a Festival?
  • The Principal Festivals
  • The Festivals of Demeter

2
The Calendar Generally
  • every polis had its own
  • months named differently to accord with different
    deities honored
  • different new year days in different poleis
  • all were lunar
  • everything here refers to Athens

3
The Festival Calendar
  • lunar based on cycles of moon
  • 12 months of 29 or 30 days with intercalation
  • huh? intercalation adding a month
  • new year day of new moon following summer
    solstice 6/22/2001

4
The Other Calendar
  • The Civic Calendar
  • ten months, each 1/10 of the year (35-39 days)
  • based on ten tribes of Athens
  • each tribe in charge of running major organs of
    government for one month

5
The Months of the Festival Year
  • Hekatombaion
  • Metageitnion
  • Boedromion
  • Pyanespsion
  • Maimakterion
  • Posideion
  • Gamelion
  • Anthesterion
  • Elaphebolion
  • Mounichion
  • Thargelion
  • Skirophorion

6
Every Month
  • first day - Noumenia New Moon Day
  • 3rd day - dedicated to Athena
  • 6th day - dedicated to Artemis
  • 7th day - dedicated to Apollo
  • 8th day - dedicated to Poseidon

7
What was a Festival?
  • Sacrifices to the god(s) and feasting
  • Processions
  • Athletic Competitions (races, etc.)
  • Artistic Competitions (song and dance dramatic
    performances)
  • some or all of the above
  • plus events specific to the festival

8
The Principal Festivals 1
  • Panathenaia
  • Hekatombaion 23-30
  • presentation of new robe to Athena
  • Eleusinian Mysteries
  • Boedromion 15-21
  • rites for Demeter
  • Thesmophoria
  • Pyanepsion 11-13
  • Demeter and Persephone

9
The Principal Festivals 2
  • Apatouria
  • Pyanepsion 19-21 (?)
  • initiation of boys into fathers groups
  • Anthesteria
  • Anthesterion 11-13
  • wine flowers rites for Dionysus
  • Greater Dionysia
  • Elaphebolion 10-16
  • dramatic performances for Dionysus

10
The Festivals of Demeter
  • Eleusinian Mysteries - Boedromion
  • Stenia - Pyanepsion
  • Thesmophoria - Pyanepsion
  • Haloa - Posideon
  • Skirophoria - Skirophorion

11
Hekatombaion
  • July August
  • watering young trees 3
  • harvest grains legumes 2
  • fallow ploughing 1
  • thresh process grain for storage 1
  • Panathenaia

12
Metageitnion
  • August September
  • fig harvest 1
  • watering
  • no major festivals

13
Boedromion
  • September October
  • fig harvest 2
  • vintage
  • manure clear fields 1
  • watering
  • Eleusinian Mysteries

14
Pyanepsion
  • October November
  • manure clear fields 2
  • trench prune vines 1
  • trench prune olive trees1
  • olive picking pressing 1
  • Apatouria
  • Thesmophoria Stenia
  • Chalkeia

15
Maimakterion
  • November December
  • trench prune vines 2
  • trench prune olive trees 2
  • olive picking pressing 2
  • plough and sow grain
  • lambing kidding 1
  • no major festivals

16
Poseideion
  • December January
  • lambing kidding 2
  • Haloa
  • Rural Dionysia
  • this is extra month added for intercalation when
    necessary

17
Gamelion
  • January February
  • lambing kidding 3
  • milking milk processing 1
  • fallow ploughing 1
  • Lenaion
  • Lesser Mysteries ( start of Anthesterion)

18
Anthesterion
  • February March
  • lambing kidding 4
  • fallow ploughing 2
  • milking milk processing 2
  • vine tree digging pruning 1
  • Anthesteria

19
Elaphebolion
  • March April
  • vine tree digging pruning 2
  • grafting 1
  • milking milk processing 3
  • Greater Dionysia

20
Mounichion
  • April May
  • grafting 2
  • milking milk processing 4
  • earthing up trees 1
  • watering young trees 1
  • Delphinia

21
Thargelion
  • May June
  • milking milk processing 5
  • earthing up trees 2
  • watering young trees 2
  • harvest grains legumes 1
  • Thargelia
  • Kallynteria Plynteria

22
Skirophorion
  • June July
  • watering young trees 3
  • harvest grains legumes 2
  • fallow ploughing 1
  • thresh process grain for storage 1
  • milking milk processing 5
  • Arrephoria
  • Skirophoria
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