The PanAtheniac Procession

One of my abiding interests as a political scientist living in 20th century America is the origin of democracy, which can be traced back to the 6th and 5th centuries in Athens. I visited Athens in 1987; and in the fall of 1988 I dedicated my political theory class to an exploration of ancient democracy.  When we think of 5th century classical Athens, we tend to think of the Golden Age of Periclean democracy as an age of Rationalism and Science. And yet, Plutarch records that the Athenian people were known to be the most religious in Greece. In his famous funeral oration, Pericles himself notes that "the contests and sacrifices throughout the year, provide us with more relaxation from work than exists in any other city." This struck me as curious, since it is a well established fact that among the great Western powers Americans are the most religious. I began wondering about the relationship between democracy and religion, and began to reflect on civic utility of religion in the classical polis (or city). 

Ancient Athens held a number of magnificent religious festivals throughout the year, but the greatest of all was the Greater PanAthenaic festival. Each year, at harvest time, on the 28th of Hecatombaion (which would be around the beginning of August), the city would conduct a celebration in honor of the protecting  goddess Athena--this would consist of dances by groups of young men and groups of young women on the Acropolis and by old men dressed as Satyrs playing the cithara (a large lyre). We call these festivals the Lesser PanAthenia. But every four years, the city would go all out and throw a grand spectacle, the Greater PanAthenaic festival, which would take place over three or four days. There would be a torch race, a grand procession through the center of the city, public prayers, offerings, and sacrifices, followed by much feasting and contests of all sorts, chariot races, horse races, athletic events, musical contests, even a mock naval battle, all in the honor of the goddess and her fellow Olympians. The whole city would come in from the countryside to witness this blow out and foreigners would converge on the city to partake of the excitement and festivity and perhaps leave with a prize. I can only liken it to what might happen if New Orleans hosted Mardi Gras, the Superbowl, and the Spoleto music festival all on the same weekend.  

Greek religion differed from Christianity in a number of important ways. First of all, the Greeks worshipped many gods. These gods were depicted as having human form, but were endowed with great natural powers. They were immortal, but they experienced similar emotions to those of humans. This permitted them to empathize with human beings; in fact, they often picked favorites--and sometimes even fell in love (or lust) with mortals. Likewise, they could become very angry with mortals, and deny them good things, or even do them much harm. These gods or goddesses even picked whole peoples to protect. (One of the important myths is that Poseidon and Athena competed for the right to become patron of Athens. The contest became one over who could offer the best gift. Poseidon provided horses, but Athena triumphed by offering the olive tree; much fitter for Attica's hilly landscape and rocky soil.) It was important to keep the city's patron-deity on your side and not to anger this deity through neglect. Prayers, offerings, and animal sacrifice would help. But since the gods had human emotions, they had the capacity to enjoy a fine spectacle, particularly one that enabled their favorite to triumph over others--that proved the worth of their divine love. For this reason, contests in honor of the gods seemed an appropriate means of linking the human with the divine--and insuring a successful harvest, avoiding the plague, and worsting one's enemies. Religion was a serious concern of the ancient city. 

Religion could be put to political purposes as well. The PanAtheniac festival, which at first consisted of a horse race and possibly a chariot race in the Town Center or Agora, began in 566--it was an aristocratic event. When the tyrant Peisistratus seized power, he took control of the festival and expanded it. He expanded the number of contests, invited foreigners to attend and participate, and offered jars filled with olive oil to the victors. This was good advertising for Athenian products and also demonstrated Peisistratus' piety. Peisistratus played to the people and oppressed the ancient aristocratic families, each with their own divine lineage. Peisistratis emphasized the city's religious claims over those of the aristocracy and centralized worship. For instance, he built a massive new temple for Athena on the acropolis. Religion was recast and intensified to serve the ambition of one-individual. 

Once the tyrant was cast out and democracy began to take hold, the Persian empire launched an attack upon Athens. An advance marine unit of special forces was defeated at the battle of Marathon by the democratic army; ten years later (480) the Persians returned with the world's largest land army and sacked the city, only to have their supporting fleet defeated, by a united Greek navy, in the sea battle of Salamis. As the Persian army retreated the Spartans and Athenians liberated the Greek mainland and even drove the Persians from the coastal cities of Asia Minor, eventually freeing all of the Greeks. Athens by a clever policy and a strong navy succeeded in forging a coalition of Greek cities into a defensive league that she came to dominate. 

By the middle of the 5th century, one politician, Pericles, managed to dominate Athenian democracy. He did so partly through a series of successful military excursions, which cowed Athens neighbors, destroyed Athen's nearest naval opponent, Aegina, and transformed the league into a tribute paying empire. Part of Pericles' plan involved a huge public works program--financed by the league treasury, which was moved from the island of Delos to the acropolis under pretense of providing greater security. This public works program gave every Athenian, who wasn't being paid rowing in the navy, a construction job. Pericles' plan was to restore the damage done by the Persians and to make the city resplendent. A new Temple to Athena was constructed on the Acropolis, intended to House a new Fabulous Idol. The old temple would be restored and rearranged to serve cult purposes. A new processional gateway to the acropolis would be constructed. A new theater building would be constructed, in Persian style, for musical contests, the Odeon theater. The Temple to Poseidon at Sunion would be expanded. A cute little Temple to Artemis at Brauron would be improved. And a vast religious hall at nearby Elusis, where the mystery rites could be held, was to be erected. You get the picture. Periclean democracy surpassed Peisistratid tyranny in its devotion to religious building. 

Now why? Well my thesis is that Pericles wanted to impress the new Athenian subject states with the superiority and the righteousness of Athens. Each city that belonged to the empire was required to send a delegation to witness the PanAthenaic festival. They had to bring a sacrificial cow and a suit of armor to dedicate to Athena. You can imagine what they saw when they got to Athens, something quite astonishing. And they probably thought that such a city, decked out in such a manner, with such talent ostentatiously on display, should rightfully command them. 

Let me give you a brief description of the festival itself, and then draw my conclusions: 

Preparation for the festivities began 9 months before with the weaving of a new garment for the ancient cult image of Athena. In may, a group of young men escorted the image down to the sea for a ritual bath. When the weaving of the garment, which portrayed the battle between the Olympians and the Titans was finished, two young girls who served as caretakers of the sacred unseen things brought them forth from the bowels of the acropolis for the festival. 

The festivities began with a torch race relay to from the academy outside the walls to the alter before the Parthenon which was lit by the winner. The procession itself began at the Dipylon Gate; equipment was taken from a storehouse there. At the center of the parade was a ship on wheels with the peplos unfurled as a sail. The parade route proceeded through the Potters' Quarters to the Royal Stoa at the base of the Agora. It may have stopped there and then passed on the Alter of the 12 gods.  Some kind of cavalry charge took place across the Agora. There was a chariot race with men jumping on and off chariots.

The procession then wound up the Acropolis, ascended through the ProPylon, perhaps sacrificed a ewe at the temple of Athena Nike, and then entered the sacred sanctuary atop the acropolis. There is a good chance that prayers, offerings, and animal sacrifice took place before the West end of the Parthenon. Singing and dancing to kitharas and pipes took place. The central rite of the celebration occurred when the peplos was exchanged on the old image of Athena, which was housed in the Erectheum.

A day or two of Athletic contests was then held: they consisted of foot races, horse races, chariot races, discus throwing, javelin throwing, broad jumping, wrestling, boxing, and something called the Strong Man contest. The Athenians also sponsored a team-rowing mock naval battle contest. And they held musical contests as well, for kithara, for flute, and for singing.

The frieze on the Parthenon is most likely a portrayal of the PanAthenic festival. Its outstanding features: individual figures, none alike, some exhibiting a high degree of energy, (1) riders in preparation (2) mounted cavalry (3) chariots and procession directors (4) old men carrying branches (5) women carrying trays and other religious artifacts (6) weavers (7) musicians (8) animals going to sacrifice (9) 12 eponymous heroes (10) the Olympian deities (11) the High Priestess and King Archon replacing the pelops. The gods are relaxing enjoying the procession, not quarreling. It was sacrilegious to portray mere humans, not heroes, on Greek Temples. The frieze was stuck up high on the cella wall obscured by the columns. Perhaps, the number of male figures which has been calculated at 192, the number of warriors that died at Marathon, is significant. 

Let me speculate on the meaning of the frieze. Greek art combines representational realism with idealization. It has a didactic purpose, it is meant to instruct its observers. Much of today's art has such a purpose: the attack on bourgeois values, contempt for formal religion, the conviction that truth is relative to the interpreter, and the belief that individual self-expression, apart from intelligibility, is valuable, the notion that no human desires are illicit, and that everything is permissible.