Latest / The History of Greece: Philosophy, Empire, and Endless Reinvention — Fexingo History / The Panathenaic Games: Athens' Other Olympics
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've covered the Olympics, the sacred truce, the big battles. But there's a festival that Athens threw every four years that was arguably as grand as the Olympics, and it's almost completely overshadowed today. I'm talking about the Panathenaia. Luna: The Panathenaia — that's the one with the procession on the Parthenon frieze, right? Lucas: Exactly. The frieze that Phidias carved is basically showing that procession. But the festival itself was way more than a parade. It had athletic contests, musical competitions, and it was all in honor of Athena, the city's patron goddess. And unlike the Olympics, which were open to all Greeks, the Panathenaia was primarily an Athenian civic event — though over time, non-Athenians could enter some events. Lucas: Now, the festival had two versions. There was the Lesser Panathenaia, which happened every year, and the Greater Panathenaia, which happened every four years with more pomp and bigger prizes. According to tradition, the Greater Panathenaia was founded or reorganized by Peisistratos in 566 BC. He's the tyrant who did a lot to promote civic pride — he's also the one who started the dramatic festival that led to Greek theater. Luna: So he basically gave Athens its own version of the Olympics. Lucas: In a way, yes. But with a distinctly Athenian flavor. The prizes were olive oil from the sacred groves of Athena — that was a huge deal. The winners got these beautiful black-figure amphorae filled with oil, and they were stamped with Athena on one side and the event on the other. Those Panathenaic amphorae are actually how we know so much about the games today. Lucas: The athletic program mirrored the Olympics but with some twists. They had the standard footraces, wrestling, boxing, and the pentathlon. But they also had these uniquely Athenian events. One was the apobates, where a heavily armed warrior would jump on and off a moving chariot. Another was the lampadedromia, a torch relay race — that's where our modern Olympic torch relay comes from. Luna: The torch relay started here? I thought that was a modern invention for Berlin 1936. Lucas: The modern relay was invented for the 1936 Olympics, but the ancient Greeks had a torch race at the Panathenaia. Runners would pass a flaming torch along a course, and the first team to reach the altar with the flame still lit won. It was a nod to Prometheus stealing fire, and it connected the city's hearth to the goddess's altar. Lucas: But the Panathenaia wasn't just about sport. There was a musical contest too — kithara players, aulos players, and singers. And there were rhapsodes reciting Homer. According to some sources, it was at the Panathenaia that the Homeric epics were first performed in a standardized form, which was a huge moment for Greek literature. Luna: So it was like a cultural Olympiad — sport, music, poetry, all rolled into one. Lucas: Absolutely. And the grand finale was the procession on the last day, where the peplos — a new robe woven by Athenian maidens — was carried up to the Acropolis and placed on the cult statue of Athena. That's the scene we see on the Parthenon frieze. The whole city took part — citizens, metics, even slaves in certain roles. It was a statement of Athenian identity and unity. Lucas: And the prizes for the athletic events were genuinely lavish. For the stadion race, the winner got 100 amphorae of olive oil. That's a lot — we're talking a serious amount of wealth. The oil could be sold or used, and it was tax-exempt. So winning at the Panathenaia wasn't just about glory; it was a financial windfall. Luna: A hundred amphorae — that's like winning a prize car today. Lucas: Exactly. And the chariot races could get even more. The four-horse chariot winner got 140 amphorae. Plus there were crowns of olive or gold for some events. The total value was staggering. And all of this was paid for by the city, which shows how much Athens invested in this festival as a tool of soft power. Lucas: Now, there's a political angle here too. When Pericles was in charge, he used the Panathenaia to project Athenian supremacy. The procession included the tribute from the Delian League allies — that wasn't a coincidence. It was a display of empire, dressed up as a religious festival. And the fact that the allies were expected to participate in the procession reinforced Athens' dominance. Luna: So it was propaganda as much as piety. Lucas: Definitely. And the festival also had a democratic side. The officials in charge, the athlothetai, were chosen by lot from the ten tribes. That's the same democratic principle as the other state offices. And the judges for the events were selected to avoid bias — we have inscriptions that show how they were organized. So the festival was woven into the very fabric of Athenian democracy. Lucas: But it wasn't just for citizens. Metics — the resident foreigners — could participate in some events, and they had specific roles in the procession. Women were involved too, especially in the weaving of the peplos and as priestesses. So it was a festival that, in many ways, brought the whole community together, even if the political message was top-down. Luna: That's a lot more inclusive than the Olympics, where women couldn't even watch. Lucas: True — the Olympics were strictly men, and most events were for men only. But at the Panathenaia, there were even events for girls in the musical contests, and we have evidence of women's athletic contests in some periods, though not as prominent. The festival reflected the city's values, and Athens prided itself on being more open than Sparta. Lucas: One thing that's fascinating is how the Panathenaia changed over time. In the Hellenistic period, it became more international, with more events open to non-Athenians, and the prizes were often in gold or cash instead of olive oil. And under the Romans, it continued for centuries — there's even evidence that it was still celebrated in the second century AD, long after Athens had lost its political power. Luna: So it outlived the glory days of the city itself. Lucas: It did. And that's part of why it's such a great lens for understanding Greek history — you can trace the rise and fall of Athenian fortunes through the festival. But here's the thing: we know so much about it because of the inscriptions and the amphorae, and also because of the building projects that housed it. The Panathenaic stadium, for example, was originally built for the games in the fourth century BC, and it was rebuilt in marble by Herodes Atticus in the second century AD. Lucas: So the festival was a thread that ran through Greek history for over a thousand years. And it's a shame more people don't know about it. The Olympics get all the attention, but the Panathenaia was arguably more important for understanding how Athens saw itself. Lucas: And that's a good reminder — this show is listener supported, and that's what allows us to go deep into topics like this. A small group of folks chips in monthly at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that keeps the whole thing ad-free. If you're one of them, thank you — genuinely. Luna: And if you're not, there's no pressure — but it does help us keep making these conversations. Lucas: Right. So anyway, back to the Panathenaia. One of the most striking things is the evidence we have for the actual victors. We have lists of winners from the fifth century BC, and they include names from all over the Greek world — not just Athenians. That tells us that even in its heyday, the festival had a Panhellenic draw, which is pretty remarkable for a civic event. Lucas: But there's also a darker side. The prizes were so valuable that there were accusations of cheating and bribery. We have a speech by the orator Lysias about a man who was accused of trying to bribe the judges — so it wasn't all noble competition. Luna: Even the ancient Greeks had their scandals. Lucas: Of course they did. And that's what makes history so rich. The Panathenaia wasn't just a bunch of guys running around in armor — it was a complex institution that reflected the politics, economics, and culture of Athens at its peak and beyond. Lucas: So next time you see a picture of the Parthenon frieze, remember that it's not just art — it's a snapshot of a living, breathing festival that defined what it meant to be Athenian.