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Lenaia

2025-09-13T20:12:26Z

2A00:23C6:A074:EF01:1411:9DFA:A5A3:34F6: /* Sources */

{{Short description|Festival of Dionysus in Athens}}
The '''Lenaia''' ({{langx|grc|Λήναια}}) was an annual [[Athenian festival]] with a [[drama]]tic [[Agon|competition]]. It was one of the lesser festivals of [[Athens]] and [[Ionia]] in [[ancient Greece]]. The Lenaia took place in Athens in [[Attic calendar#List of months|Gamelion]], roughly corresponding to January. The festival was in honour of [[Dionysus|Dionysus Lenaios]].<ref name=B20/> There is also evidence the festival also took place in [[Delphi]].<ref name=":0" />

The term ''Lenaia'' probably comes from "''lenos''" 'wine-press' or from "''lenai''", another name for the [[Maenad]]s (the female worshippers of Dionysus).

==Overview==
The Lenaia is depicted on numerous vases, which show both typical Maenad scenes and those of aristocrats and [[wine]]-mixing rituals. It is unknown exactly what kind of worship occurred at the festival, but it may have been in honor of Dionysus as a youth or the rebirth of Dionysus after his murder by the [[Titans (mythology)|Titans]].<ref name=":0" /> It may have also had some connection with the [[Eleusinian Mysteries]], as some of the same religious officials were involved (such as the ''[[Archon basileus]] '' and the ''epimeletai''). These officials led the procession (πομπή ''pompe''), which probably ended with a [[Animal sacrifice|sacrifice]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2019}} The references we have mention a procession and ἀγών held ‘by torchlight,’ where an [[Eleusinian Mysteries|Eleusian official]], originating in Athens, called upon or invoked Dionysus. Then, the chorus would respond ‘Iacchos, son of Semele, Πλουτοδότης.’<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last=Valdés Guía|first=Miriam|title=Redefining Dionysos in Athens from the Written Sources: The Lenaia, Iacchos and Attic Women|work=Redefining Dionysos|year=2013|pages=100–119 |place=Berlin, Boston|publisher=DE GRUYTER|doi=10.1515/9783110301328.100|isbn=978-3-11-030132-8}}</ref> Most of all, the festival appears to be an agrarian one. It was celebrated at a crucial time for propitiating the awakening of nature. Specifically, the [[grape]] and [[wine]], symbolised by the god himself, his death and reemergence from the underworld. Though, this was not the time of the grape harvest, but rather when the vines were pruned.<ref name=":0" />

The festival may have had rites for women.<ref name=":0" /> The coincidence of invoking [[Iacchus]], seen as Dionysus as a child, by torchlight and commemorating the myth of the god's death and rebirth. This happened both in [[Delphi]] and in [[Athens]] in the Lenaia, in the same season, winter. It further supports the idea that Attic Lenaia had a specific ritual involving women, the followers of the god. The ritual associated in this case with the idea of the resurrection of the god associated with wine production and the wine press.<ref name=":0" /> Though, whether or not it was a festival for women, or that festival heavily involved them, is still a debate.<ref name=":0" /> In [[Athens]], there was no mention of a women's festival.<ref name=":0" /> However, that could be due to that women are associated with Dionysus's secret and sacred rites, which wouldn't normally be talked about or made public.<ref name=":0" />

Athenian woman probably participated in the nocturnal rites. They may have played an important role in ‘calling’ or invoking the god. But, they were not the main focus and are not even mentioned in the texts.<ref name=":0" /> However, women are depicted on Attic vases as being close to the process of wine production along with the unmixed wine. Along with that, the [[satyr]]s of untamed nature are also found, along with the god himself.<ref name=":0" />

In Athens, the festival was originally held in the Lenaion (possibly a theatre outside the city or a section of the [[Ancient Agora of Athens|Agora]]) but probably moved to the [[Theatre of Dionysus]] by the mid-fifth century.<ref>Csapo and Slater (1998, 123)</ref> Beginning in the second half of the 5th century BC, plays were performed (as they were at the [[Dionysia|City Dionysia]] festival later in the year). The audiences for the Lenaia were usually limited to the local population, since travel by sea at that time of year was considered unsafe.<ref name=B20>Brockett and Hildy (2003, 20).</ref> [[Metic]]s, however, were apparently allowed to both participate and act as [[Choregos|''choregoi'']].<ref name="Swallow">{{Cite web|url=http://www.theposthole.org/read/article/314|title=Reconstructing the Lenaia|last=Swallow|first=Peter|access-date=2016-03-13}}</ref> Around 442 BC, new comic contests were officially included in the Lenaia, though plays may have been performed there earlier on an informal basis.<ref name=B20/> At first, the festival held dramatic competitions only for [[Ancient Greek comedy|comedy]], but in 432 BC a [[Tragedy|tragic]] contest was introduced. Many of [[Aristophanes]]' plays were first performed there, such as 'Knights'. As with the competition at the City Dionysia, five comedies usually competed (except during the [[Peloponnesian War]] when only three were staged). When the contest for tragedy was introduced, two tragedians competed, each presenting two plays. There is no evidence of [[satyr play]]s being performed, but [[dithyramb]]s were included in the third century BC.<ref name="Swallow"/> Towards the end of the century, the festival's plays were performed in the Theatre of Dionysus (although it is unclear when this location was first used).<ref name=B20/> It is unknown when the Lenaia was abandoned, but contests of some sort continued into the 2nd century BC.

==See also==
* [[Anthesteria]] and [[Bacchanalia]]
* [[Dionysia]]
* [[Lenaeus (disambiguation)]]
* [[Satyr]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* Brockett, Oscar G. and Franklin J. Hildy. 2003. ''History of the Theatre''. Ninth edition, International edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. {{ISBN|0-205-41050-2}}.
* Pickard-Cambridge, Sir Arthur. 1953. ''The Dramatic Festivals of Athens.'' 2nd ed. Oxford: Clarendon P, 1968. {{ISBN|0-19-814258-7}}

[[Category:Ancient Greek theatre]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Athens]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Ionia]]
[[Category:Greek festivals of Dionysus]]
[[Category:January observances]]
[[Category:February observances]]

Heracleia (festival)

2025-09-13T20:11:44Z

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{{Short description|Ancient Greek festival honoring Heracles}}
The '''Heracleia''' ({{langx|grc|Ἡράκλεια ἐν Κυνοσάργει}} ''Herakleia en Kynosargei'') were ancient [[Athenian festivals|festivals]] honoring the divine hero [[Heracles]].

The ancient Athenians celebrated the festival, which commemorated the death of Heracles, on the second day of the month of Metageitnion (which would fall in late July or early August), at the [[Cynosarges]] [[Gymnasium (ancient Greece)|gymnasium]] at the demos [[Diomeia]] outside the walls of Athens, in a sanctuary dedicated to Heracles. His priests were drawn from the list of boys who were not full Athenian citizens (''[[nothoi]]'').
Many famous nothoi exercised there (such as [[Demosthenes]]) but it was probably not exclusively set aside for them.

The Attic cults of Herakles were often closely connected with youth: at several of his cult sites there was a gymnasium attached, and there was a mythological tradition (perhaps originating in [[Boeotia]]) that after Heracles died he was translated to [[Mount Olympus|Olympus]], where he married [[Hebe (mythology)|Hebe]], the personification of youth. Because of this Heracles is sometimes worshipped as a god and sometimes as a dead hero.

In Thebes, the center of the cult of Heracles, the festivities lasted a number of days, and consisted of various athletic and musical contests ''(agones)'', as well as sacrifices. They were celebrated in the gymnasium of [[Iolaus]], the nephew and ''[[eromenos]]'' of Heracles, and were known as the Iolaeia.<ref>Pindar, [[Olympian 9|''Olympian Ode'' IX]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DO.%3Apoem%3D9 95]</ref> The winners were awarded brass tripods and were crowned with garlands of [[Myrtus communis|myrtle]].<ref>[[Pindar]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Pind.%20I.%204&lang=original ''Isthmian Ode'' IV].</ref>

"Heracleia" is also a female first name, from which the common Romanian first name [[Raluca]] is ultimately derived, via the Greek name ''[https://www.name-doctor.com/name-rallou-meaning-of-rallou-65622.html Ralloú]''.

==See also==
* [[Athenian festivals]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://dagr.univ-tlse2.fr/sdx/dagr/feuilleter.xsp?tome=3&partie=1&numPage=77&nomEntree=HEPHAISTEIA&vue=texte ''Le Dictionnaire des Antiquités Grecques et Romaines de Daremberg et Saglio''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061127211807/http://dagr.univ-tlse2.fr/sdx/dagr/feuilleter.xsp?tome=3&partie=1&numPage=77&nomEntree=HEPHAISTEIA&vue=texte |date=2006-11-27 }}

[[Category:Heracles]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Athens]]
[[Category:July observances]]
[[Category:August observances]]

{{AncientGreek-reli-stub}}

Dionysia

2025-09-13T20:09:46Z

2A00:23C6:A074:EF01:1411:9DFA:A5A3:34F6: /* Further reading */

{{Short description|Festivals of Dionysus in ancient Athens}}
{{About|the ancient Greek festival|the flowering plant|Dionysia (plant)|the ancient Roman dancer-actress|Dionysia (stage artist)}}[[File:Delos Museum Mosaik Dionysos 05.jpg|thumb|400px|A [[Hellenistic art|Hellenistic Greek]] [[mosaic]] depicting the god [[Dionysos]] as a winged [[daimon]] riding on a tiger, from [[Mosaics of Delos|the House of Dionysos]] at [[Delos]] (which [[History of Delos|was once controlled]] by [[History of Athens|Athens]]) in the [[South Aegean]] [[Administrative regions of Greece|region]] of [[Greece]], late 2nd century BC, [[Archaeological Museum of Delos]]]]

The '''Dionysia''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|d|aɪ|.|ə|ˈ|n|ɪ|z|i|.|ə|,_|ˌ|d|aɪ|.|ə|ˈ|n|ɪ|ʃ|i|.|ə|,_|ˌ|d|aɪ|.|ə|ˈ|n|ɪ|ʃ|ə}};<ref>{{cite book |title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |url=https://archive.org/details/longman-pronunciation-dictionary/page/221/mode/2up |first=John C. |last= Wells |publisher=Longman |location=Harlow, England |year=2000 |orig-date=1990 |edition=new |isbn=978-0-582-36467-7 |page=222}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionary-of-classical-mythology/page/86/mode/2up |page=87 |title=Dictionary of Classical Mythology|first=J. E. |last=Zimmerman |publisher=Harper & Row |location=New York |year=1964}}</ref> [[Greek language|Greek]]: Διονύσια) was a large [[Athenian festivals|festival]] in ancient [[Athens]] in honor of the god [[Dionysus]], the central events of which were processions and sacrifices in honor of Dionysus, the [[Greek drama|theatrical]] performances of dramatic [[tragedy|tragedies]] and, from 487 BC, [[Greek comedy|comedies]]. It was the second-most important festival after the [[Panathenaia]]. The Dionysia actually consisted of two related festivals, the '''Rural Dionysia''' and the '''City Dionysia''', which took place in different parts of the year.

==Rural Dionysia==

=== Origins ===
[[File:The ruins of the Later Temple of Dionysus Eleuthereus on March 12, 2020.jpg|thumb|268x268px|Ruins of a 6th century BC Temple of Dionysus in Eleutherae, where the Cult of Dionysus and the Rural Dionysia was originally founded]]
The Dionysia was originally a [[rural]] festival in [[Eleutherae]], [[Attica]] ({{lang|el|Διονύσια τὰ κατ' ἀγρούς}} – ''Dionysia ta kat' agrous''), celebrating the cultivation of [[vine]]s. Archaeological evidence suggests that theatres for the Rural Dionysia had been constructed as early as the 6th century BCE,<ref>Goette, Hans Rupprecht et al. “The Archaeology of the ‘Rural’ Dionysia in Attica.” Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC. Berlin, Boston: DE GRUYTER, 2014. 77–106. Web.</ref> but the festival is generally believed to have been celebrated even before that. This "rural Dionysia" was held during the winter, in the month of [[Attic calendar|Poseideon]] (the month straddling the winter solstice, i.e., Dec.–Jan.), although it is also suggested that festivals took place in the Spring time as well.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Belknap |first=George N. |date=1934 |title=The Date of Dicaeopolis' Rural Dionysia |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/626492 |journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies |volume=54 |pages=77–78 |doi=10.2307/626492 |jstor=626492 |issn=0075-4269}}</ref> The central event was the ''pompe'' (πομπή), the procession, in which ''[[phallus|phalloi]]'' (φαλλοί) were carried by ''phallophoroi'' (φαλλοφόροι). Also participating in the ''pompe'' were ''[[kanephoros|kanephoroi]]'' (κανηφόροι – young girls carrying baskets), ''obeliaphoroi'' (ὀβελιαφόροι – who carried long loaves of bread), ''skaphephoroi'' (σκαφηφόροι – who carried other offerings), ''hydriaphoroi'' (ὑδριαφόροι – who carried jars of water), and ''askophoroi'' (ἀσκοφόροι – who carried goatskin bags of wine).

After the ''pompe'' procession was completed, there were contests of dancing and singing, and [[Greek chorus|choruses]] (led by a ''[[Choregos (ancient Greece)|choregos]]'') would perform [[dithyramb]]s. Some festivals may have included dramatic performances, possibly of the tragedies and comedies that had been produced at the City Dionysia the previous year. This was more common in the larger towns, such as [[Piraeus]], [[Eleusis]] and Icaria/Ikarion.

The festival was celebrated in urban towns outside of the rural setting such as in [[Collytus|Kollytos]] and [[Piraeus|Peiraieus]], indicating that it became less of a celebration of rural communities and more so a celebration of agrarian culture as a whole.<ref name=":0">Jones, Nicholas F. ''Rural Athens under the Democracy''. 1st ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. Web.</ref> Because the various towns in Attica held their festivals on different days, it was possible for spectators to visit more than one festival per season. It was also an opportunity for Athenian citizens to travel outside the city if they did not have the opportunity to do so during the rest of the year. This also allowed travelling companies of actors to perform in more than one town during the period of the festival.<ref>{{cite book|last=Brockett|first=Oscar Gross|title=History of the Theatre|year=1968|publisher=Allyn & Bacon|location=Boston|pages=18–26}}</ref>

=== References ===
The comic playwright [[Aristophanes]] parodied the Rural Dionysia in his play ''[[The Acharnians]]'' by making a mockery of the ''pompe'' and the significance of phalluses.<ref>{{cite web | title=Aristophanes, Acharnians, line 241 | url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0240%3Acard%3D241 }}</ref> His description is considered the earliest surviving documentation of the festival in Athens and has been used as a reference on its proceedings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bednarek |first=Bart?Omiej |date=2019 |title=The (alleged) sacrifice and procession at Rural Dionysia in Aristophanes' "Acharnians" |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45176387 |journal=Hermes |volume=147 |issue=2 |pages=143–152 |doi=10.25162/hermes-2019-0014 |jstor=45176387 |issn=0018-0777}}</ref> [[Plutarch]] in his treatise ''De cupiditate divitiarum,'' commented on the simple nature of the celebration of Rural Dionysia in antiquity.<ref>{{cite web | title=Plutarch, de cupiditate divitiarum, section 8 | url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0294%3Asection%3D8 }}</ref> [[Aeschines]] makes reference to the performance of comedies during the Rural Dionysia in Kollytos in his speech ''[[Against Timarchus]]''.<ref>{{cite web | title=Aeschines, Against Timarchus, section 157 | url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Aeschin.+1+157&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0002 }}</ref> The festival has also been mentioned in writing by [[Theophrastus]] in A''doleschia'', Plutarch additionally in ''[[Moralia]]'', and in [[Plato|Plato's]] ''[[Republic (Plato)|Republic]]''.<ref name=":0" />

==City Dionysia==

===Origins===
The City Dionysia (''Dionysia ta en Astei – Διονύσια τὰ ἐν Ἄστει'', also known as the Great Dionysia, ''Dionysia ta Megala – Διονύσια τὰ Μεγάλα'') was the urban part of the festival. It was established during the [[tyranny]] of [[Peisistratos (Athens)|Peisistratus]] in the 6th century BC due to his recognition of the Cult of Dionysius as a national cult, the promotion of performative arts, and the reformation of the festival.<ref>Shapiro, H. A. 1989. ''Art and Cult under the Tyrants in Athens''. Mainz am Rhein p. 48 - 49</ref> This festival was held probably from the 10th to the 16th of the month [[Attic calendar|Elaphebolion]]<ref>Mikalson, [https://books.google.com/books?id=d4p9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA137 p. 137].</ref> (the lunar month straddling the vernal equinox, i.e., Mar.-Apr in the solar calendar), three months after the rural Dionysia, probably to celebrate the end of winter and the harvesting of the year's crops. According to tradition, the festival was established after [[Eleutherae]], a town on the border between Attica and [[Boeotia]], had chosen to become part of Attica. The Eleuthereans brought a statue of Dionysus to Athens, which was initially rejected by the Athenians. Dionysus then punished the Athenians with a [[Epidemic|plague]] affecting the male [[genitalia]], which was cured when the Athenians accepted the cult of Dionysus. This was recalled each year by a procession of citizens carrying ''[[phalloi]]''. This story relates to the original founding of the cult of Dionysus in Eleutherae in the 6th century BC, a myth that also involves the rejection, punishment, and acceptance of Dionysus <ref>Warford, Erin. The Multipolar Polis: A Study of Processions in Classical Athens and the Attica Countryside, State University of New York at Buffalo, United States -- New York, 2015.</ref>

The urban festival was a relatively recent invention. This ceremony fell under the auspices of the [[Archons of Athens]], rather than the [[basileus]], to whom religious festivals were given when the office of archon was created in the 7th century BC.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, THE SECOND BOOK, chapter 15 |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0247:book=2:chapter=15 |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref>

===''Pompe'' and ''Proagon''===
The archon prepared for the City Dionysia as soon as he was elected, by choosing his two ''páredroi'' (πάρεδροι, "reeves", literally: "by the chair") and ten ''epimelētai'' (ἐπιμεληταί, "curators") to help organize the festival. On the first day of the festival, the ''pompē'' ("pomp", "procession") was held, in which citizens, [[metic]]s, and representatives from Athenian colonies marched to the [[Theatre of Dionysus]] on the southern slope of the [[Acropolis]], carrying the wooden statue of Dionysus Eleuthereus, the "leading" or ''eisagōgē'' (εἰσαγωγή, "introduction"). As with the Rural Dionysia, they also carried [[phalloi]], made of wood or bronze, aloft on poles, and a cart pulled a much larger phallus. Basket-carriers and water and wine-carriers participated in the ''pompe'' here, as in the Rural Dionysia.

During the height of the [[Athenian Empire]] in the mid-5th century BC, various gifts and weapons showcasing Athens' strength were carried as well. Also included in the procession were bulls to be sacrificed in the theatre. The most conspicuous members of the procession were the ''chorēgoí'' (χορηγοί, "sponsors", literally: "chorus leaders"), who were dressed in the most expensive and ornate clothing. After the ''pompē'', the ''chorēgoí'' led their choruses in the [[dithyramb]]ic competitions. These were extremely competitive, and the best flute players and celebrity poets (such as [[Simonides of Ceos|Simonides]] and [[Pindar]]) offered their musical and lyrical services. After these competitions, the bulls were sacrificed, and a feast was held for all the citizens of Athens. A second procession, the ''[[komos|kōmos]]'' (κῶμος), occurred afterwards, which was most likely a drunken [[:wikt:revelry|revelry]] through the streets.

The next day, the playwrights announced the titles of the plays to be performed, and judges were selected by lot: the "''proagōn''" (προαγών, "pre-contest"). It is unknown where the ''proagōn'' originally took place, but after the mid-5th century BC, it was held in the [[Odeon of Pericles]] on the foot of [[Acropolis]]. The ''proagōn'' was also used to give praise to notable citizens, or often foreigners, who had served Athens in some beneficial way during the year. During the [[Peloponnesian War]], orphaned children of those who had been killed in battle were also paraded in the Odeon, possibly to honour their fathers. The ''proagōn'' could be used for other announcements as well; in 406 BC the death of the playwright [[Euripides]] was announced there.
[[File:Theatre of Dionysus Acropolis Athens Greece.jpg|thumb|290x290px|[[Theatre of Dionysus]] in Athens where dramatic performances for the Dionysia took place. It is generally considered to be one of the oldest theatres in the world.]]

===Dramatic performances===
Following the ''pompe'', the [[Theatre of Dionysus]] was purified by the sacrifice of a bull. According to tradition, the first performance of tragedy at the Dionysia was by the playwright and actor [[Thespis]] (from whom we take the word "[[wikt:thespian|thespian]]") in 534 BC. His award was reportedly a [[goat]], a common symbol for Dionysus, and this "prize" possibly suggests the origin of the word "tragedy" (which means "goat-song").

During the fifth century BC, five days of the festival were set aside for performance, though scholars disagree exactly what was presented each day. At least three full days were devoted to tragic plays, and each of three playwrights presented his set of three tragedies and one [[satyr play]] on the successive days.<ref name="Brockett 1968 18–25">{{cite book|last=Brockett|first=Oscar Gross|title=History of the Theatre|year=1968|publisher=Allyn & Bacon|location=Boston|pages=18–25}}</ref> Most of the extant Greek tragedies, including those of [[Aeschylus]], [[Euripides]], and [[Sophocles]], were performed at the [[Theatre of Dionysus]]. The archons, ''epimeletai'', and judges (''agonothetai – ἀγωνοθἐται'') watched from the front row.

The other two days of the festival were likely devoted to [[dithyramb]]ic contests until 487/6 BC, when comic poets were officially admitted to the [[agon]]s and eligible for their own prizes.<ref>Mastromarco, Giuseppe: (1994) ''Introduzione a Aristofane'' (Sesta edizione: Roma-Bari 2004). {{ISBN|88-420-4448-2}} p.3</ref> Each of five comic writers presented a single play (except during the [[Peloponnesian War]], when only three plays were performed), though it is unknown whether they were performed continuously on one day, or over the course of the five-day festival. Until 449 BC, only dramatic works were awarded prizes in the agon, but after that time, actors also became eligible for recognition. It was considered a great honour to win the comedic prize at the City Dionysia, despite the belief that comedies were of secondary importance. The [[Lenaia]] festival, held earlier in the year, featured comedy more prominently and officially recognized comic performances with prizes in 442 BC.<ref name="Brockett 1968 18–25"/>

Impressive tragic output continued without pause through the first three quarters of the fourth century BC, and some scholars consider this time a continuation of the [[classical Greece|classical period]]. Though much of the work of this period is either lost or forgotten, it is considered to owe a great debt to the playwright [[Euripides]]. His plays, along with other fifth-century BC writers, were often re-staged during this period. At least one revival was presented each year at City Dionysia. It has been suggested that audiences may have preferred to see well-known plays re-staged, rather than financially support new plays of questionable quality; or alternately, that revivals represented a [[nostalgia]] for the glory of Athens from before the devastation of the [[Peloponnesian War]]. Nevertheless, plays continued to be written and performed until the 2nd century BC, when new works of both comedy and tragedy seem to have been eliminated. After that point drama continued to be produced, but prizes were awarded to wealthy producers and famous actors rather than the long-dead playwrights whose work was being performed.<ref name="Brockett 1968 18–25"/>

Another procession and celebration was held on the final day, when the judges chose the winners of the tragedy and comedy performances. The winning playwrights were awarded a wreath of [[ivy]].

==Known winners of the City Dionysia==
{{More citations needed|section|date=August 2023}}
Most of our knowledge of the winners of the City Dionysia and the Lenaea festival comes from a series of damaged inscriptions referred to as the Fasti (''IG'' II2 2318), the ''Didascaliae'' (''IG'' II2 2319-24) and the Victors Lists (''IG'' II2 2325).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Millis |first1=Benjamin Willard |last2=Olson |first2=S. Douglas |title=Inscriptional records for the dramatic festivals in Athens: IG II2 2318-2325 and related texts |date=2012 |page=1|publisher=Brill |location=Leiden Boston |isbn=978-90-04-23201-3}}</ref>

=== Tragedy ===
(? = exact year not preserved)

*Pre 484 - [[Thespis]] (?), [[Choerilus (playwright)|Choerilus]], [[Phrynichus (tragic poet)|Phrynichus]], [[Pratinas]]
*484 BC - [[Aeschylus]]
*4?? BC - Euetes
*472 BC - Aeschylus (''[[The Persians]]'')
*471 BC - [[Polyphrasmon]]
*4?? BC - Nothippus
*468 BC - [[Sophocles]] (''[[Triptolemos (play)|Triptolemus]]'')
*467 BC - Aeschylus (''[[Seven Against Thebes]]''); [[Aristias]] took 2nd place
*4?? BC - Mesatus
*463 BC - Aeschylus (''[[The Suppliants (Aeschylus)|The Suppliants]]'')
*460 BC - Aristias
*458 BC - Aeschylus (''[[The Oresteia]]''); Sophocles took 2nd place
*449 BC - Herakleides
*44? BC - Sophocles (''[[Antigone (Sophocles)|Antigone]]'').<ref>Either 440 or 442 BC. {{cite encyclopedia |author-last1=Zimmermann |author-first=Bernhard |encyclopedia=Brill's New Pauly Online |title=Euripides |url=https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1117150 |date=2006 |publisher=Brill |doi=10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1117150 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
*441 BC - [[Euripides]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author-last1=Zimmermann |author-first=Bernhard |author-last2=Schmitz |author-first2=Winfried |encyclopedia=Brill's New Pauly Online |title=Sophocles |url=https://doi.org/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e405880 |date=2006 |publisher=Brill |doi=10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e405880 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
*438 BC - Sophocles; Euripides took 2nd place with ''[[Alcestis (play)|Alcestis]]''
*431 BC - [[Euphorion (playwright)|Euphorion]], son of Aeschylus; Sophocles took 2nd place; Euripides took 3rd with ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]''
*428 BC - Euripides (''[[Hippolytus (play)|Hippolytus]]'')
*427 BC - [[Philocles]], nephew of Aeschylus; Sophocles took 2nd place with ''[[Oedipus Rex]]''<ref>{{Cite book|last=Smith|first=Helaine|year=2005|title=Masterpieces of Classic Greek Drama |url=https://archive.org/details/masterpiecesclas00smit|url-access=limited|page=[https://archive.org/details/masterpiecesclas00smit/page/n14 1]|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=978-0-313-33268-5}}</ref>
*416 BC - [[Agathon]]
*415 BC - [[Xenocles]]
*409 BC - Sophocles (''[[Philoctetes (Sophocles)|Philoctetes]]'')
*405 BC - Euripides (''[[The Bacchae]]'', ''[[Iphigenia in Aulis]]'', ''[[Alcmaeon in Corinth]]'')
*401 BC - Sophocles (''[[Oedipus at Colonus]]'' (posthumous award)
*372 BC - [[Astydamas]]
*3?? BC - [[Aphareus (writer)|Aphareus]]

=== Comedy ===
(? = exact year not preserved)

*486 BC - [[Chionides]]
*472 BC - [[Magnes (comic poet)|Magnes]]
*458 BC - Euphonius
*450 BC - [[Crates (comic poet)|Crates]]
*446 BC - [[Callias Schoenion|Callias]]
*43? BC - [[Cratinus]]
*437 BC - [[Pherecrates]]
*435 BC - [[Hermippus]]
*427 BC - Unknown; [[Aristophanes]] took 2nd place with ''[[The Banqueters]]''
*426 BC - Aristophanes (''The Babylonians'')
*423 BC - Cratinus (''The Wicker Flask'')
*422 BC - Cantharus
*421 BC - [[Eupolis]] (''The Flatterers''); Aristophanes took 2nd place with ''[[Peace (play)|Peace]]''
*414 BC - [[Ameipsias]] (''The Revelers'')'';'' Aristophanes took 2nd place with [[The Birds (play)|''The Birds'']]; [[Phrynichus (comic poet)|Phrynichus]] took 3rd place with ''Solitary''
*410 BC - Plato the Comic
*402 BC - [[Cephisodorus|Cephisodoros]]
*290 BC - [[Poseidippus of Cassandreia|Poseidippus]]
*278 BC - [[Philemon (poet)|Philemon]]
*185 BC - Laines
*183 BC - Philemon
*154 BC - Chairion

==Modern adaptations==
The festival has inspired people through the present day, as a celebration of humanity (see [[Apollonian and Dionysian|Nietzsche's]] or [[Poetics (Aristotle)|Aristotle's]] take) and an exposition of culture.<ref name=Goldhill>{{cite journal|last=Goldhill|first=Simon|title=The Great Dionysia and Civic Ideology|journal=Journal of Hellenic Studies|year=1987|volume=107|issue=1|pages=58–76|jstor=630070|doi=10.2307/630070|s2cid=145343153 }} which ties together the civilizing and humane force of plays in the ancient world</ref><ref name=Harrison>{{cite book|last=Harrison|first=Stephen|title=The Cambridge Companion to Horace|year=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, England|isbn=9780521536844|pages=307–330}}, for the culturing aspect of Dionysus and celebrations associated with him.</ref> The [[University of Houston|University of Houston's]] Center for Creative works produces and performs an adaptation each spring.<ref name="CCW Dionysia">{{cite web|last=Harvey |first=John |title=Dr. |url=https://ssl.uh.edu/honors/honors-minors-programs/center-creative-work/dionysia/index.php |work=Theater |publisher=Center for Creative Work, University of Houston |access-date=8 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424111337/https://ssl.uh.edu/honors/honors-minors-programs/center-creative-work/dionysia/index.php |archive-date=24 April 2013 }}</ref> The purpose of the enterprise is to educate and entertain, and adaptations occasionally go beyond Greek theater for inspiration (for example, the 2013 Spring adaptation of the [[Iliad]], titled ''Ilium''). Collaborators flock from all over [[Theater of the United States|America]] and the productions themselves are quite popular, selling out on all ticketed venues.<ref name="CCW Dionysia" />

The New York Classical Club, through [[Fordham University|Fordham University's]] Classics Department, stages a competition every April wherein groups of high school students produce unique adaptations of the same play.<ref name="NYCC Dionysian">{{cite web|last=McGowan|first=Matthew|title=Ph.D.|url=http://www.nyclassicalclub.org/events.htm|work=Theater|publisher=New York Classics Club|access-date=8 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209134440/http://nyclassicalclub.org/events.htm|archive-date=9 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The competition aims to engage the themes and style of the ancient plays with renewed vigor and an accessible, thought provoking frame. Several notable schools from the area participate, including [[Stuyvesant High School|Stuyvesant]] and [[Regis High School (New York City)|Regis]]. Adaptations are cut to twenty minutes, and source plays have included ''[[The Bacchae]]'' by Euripides and the entire collection of [[Ovid|Ovid's]] ''[[Metamorphoses]]''.<ref name="NYCC Dionysian" />

Educational charity The Iris Project<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://irisproject.org.uk/|title=The Iris Project - Home|website=irisproject.org.uk}}</ref> holds a Dionysia Festival every year with Year Eight students from Cheney School, who adapt and modernise Aristophanes plays. The festival is usually hosted at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://apolloandartemis.blog/2021/06/12/dionysia-2021-aristophanes-under-lockdown/|title = Dionysia 2021: Aristophanes Under Lockdown|date = 12 June 2021|access-date = 4 July 2021|archive-date = 9 July 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183404/https://apolloandartemis.blog/2021/06/12/dionysia-2021-aristophanes-under-lockdown/|url-status = dead}}</ref>

Modern followers of [[Hellenism (religion)|Hellenism]] celebrate Dionysia as a holiday and use a version of the [[Attic calendar]] to calculate it.<ref name="hellenion">{{cite web|url=https://www.hellenion.org/calendar/|title=Calendar|website=Hellenion|access-date=2021-09-27}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Athenian festivals]]
*[[Anthesteria]]
*[[Bacchanalia]]
*[[Ganachakra]]
*[[Lenaia]]
*[[Panathenaia]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
*Aristophanes, ''The Acharnians''.
*Plutarch, ''De cupiditate divitiarum''
*Thucidides, ''History of the Peloponnesian War''
*Simon Goldhill, "The Great Dionysia and Civic Ideology", in ''Nothing to Do with Dionysos? Athenian Drama in Its Social Context'', eds. [[John J. Winkler]] and Froma I. Zeitlin. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990. {{ISBN|0-691-06814-3}}
*[[Susan Guettel Cole]], "Procession and Celebration at the Dionysia", in ''Theater and Society in the Classical World'', ed. [[Ruth Scodel]]. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1993. {{ISBN|0-472-10281-8}}
*Jeffrey M. Hurwit. ''The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology From the Neolithic Era to the Present''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. {{ISBN|0-521-42834-3}}
* Mikalson, Jon D. (1975), ''The Sacred and Civil Calendar of the Athenian Year'', Princeton University Press. {{ISBN|0691035458}}.
*{{cite book |last1=Millis |first1=Benjamin Willard |last2=Olson |first2=S. Douglas |title=Inscriptional records for the dramatic festivals in Athens: IG II2 2318-2325 and related texts |date=2012 |page=1|publisher=Brill |location=Leiden Boston |isbn=978-90-04-23201-3}}
*Sir Arthur Pickard-Cambridge. ''The Dramatic Festivals of Athens''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1953 (2nd ed. 1968). {{ISBN|0-19-814258-7}}
*Robert Parker. ''Athenian religion: A History''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. {{ISBN|0-19-814979-4}}
*Carl A. P. Ruck. IG II 2323: ''The List of the Victors in Comedies at the Dionysia''. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1967.
*Goette, Hans Rupprecht et al. “The Archaeology of the ‘Rural’ Dionysia in Attica.” Greek Theatre in the Fourth Century BC. Berlin, Boston: DE GRUYTER, 2014. 77–106. Web.
*Belknap, George N. “The Date of Dicaeopolis’ Rural Dionysia.” ''The Journal of Hellenic Studies'', vol. 54, 1934, pp. 77–78. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.2307/626492</nowiki>.
*Jones, Nicholas F. ''Rural Athens under the Democracy''. 1st ed. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. Web.
*Shapiro, H. A. 1989. ''Art and Cult under the Tyrants in Athens''. Mainz am Rhein
*BEDNAREK, BARTŁOMIEJ. “The (Alleged) Sacrifice and Procession at Rural Dionysia in Aristophanes’ ‘Acharnians.’” Hermes, vol. 147, no. 2, 2019, pp. 143–52. JSTOR
*Warford, Erin. The Multipolar Polis: A Study of Processions in Classical Athens and the Attica Countryside, State University of New York at Buffalo, United States -- New York, 2015.

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |journal= Bucknell Review |volume= XLIII |number= 1 |editor-last= Padilla |editor-first= Mark William |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-0JVScga2oYC&q=rites+of+passage+in+ancient+greece |title= Rites of Passage in Ancient Greece: Literature, Religion, Society |publisher= [[Bucknell University]] Press |date= 1999 |isbn= 0-8387-5418-X }}

[[Category:Ancient Greek theatre]]
[[Category:Greek festivals of Dionysus]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Athens]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Greece]]
[[Category:December observances]]

Kronia

2025-09-13T19:58:27Z

2A00:23C6:A074:EF01:1411:9DFA:A5A3:34F6: /* References */

{{short description|Athenian festival held in honor of Kronos (Cronus)}}
The '''Kronia''' or '''Cronia''' ({{langx|grc|Κρόνια}}) was an [[Athenian festivals|Athenian festival]] held in honor of Kronos ([[Cronus]]) on the 12th day of [[Hekatombaion]], the first month of the [[Attic calendar]], and roughly equivalent to the latter part of July and first part of August.{{efn|name=clendar_example|For example, in 2024, the ''Kronia'' would fall on 17 July 2024.<ref name=EpistemeAcad-caldrs/>}}

The festival was also celebrated in parts of [[Ionia]], and in these places the month was called ''Kronion'', named after the festival.<ref name=Bremmer-2008/>{{rp|page=82}}<ref name=Hansen-2002/>{{rp|page=385}}{{efn|Since the ''Kronia'' was significant enough to name the whole month ''Kronion'',<ref name=Bremmer-2008/>{{rp|page=82}}<ref name=Hansen-2002/>{{rp|page=385}} (something analogous to saying "Christmas" instead of "December") the event was important to the people of [[Ionia]], regardless of the importance of [[Cronus|Kronos / Cronus]] himself (which scholars find little evidence for<ref name=Bremmer-2008/>{{rp|page=83}}).}} Scholars usually interpret it as a celebration of the mid-summer (first) harvest. Its Roman equivalent is [[Saturnalia]].<ref name=Bremmer-2008/>{{rp|page=38}}

== Details from ancient sources==
The [[Theatre of ancient Rome|Roman playwright]] [[Lucius Accius|Accius]] says that to celebrate the ''Kronia'', "In nearly all fields and towns they happily feast upon banquets, and everyone waits upon his own servants."{{refn|name=Accius-fragm|{{cite book |author=[[Lucius Accius]] |article=fragment 3 |title={{grey|[{{small|no title?}}]}} |postscript=;}} cited in Bremmer (2008).<ref name=Bremmer-2008/>{{rp|page=38}} [[Lucius Accius|Accius]]' purpose is to claim the Kronia as an influence on the Roman [[Saturnalia]].<ref name=Bremmer-RelAncWld/>{{efn|The Saturnalia was held in honor of [[Saturn (mythology)|Saturn]], the [[interpretatio graeca|Roman's equivalent]] of [[Cronus|Kronos / Cronus]].}} }} Slaves and the free, rich and poor, all dined together and played games.{{efn|Kronia games included [[Dice#History|dice]] ''(kyboi)'', [[knucklebones]] ''(astragaloi)'', and the board game ''[[pessoi]]''.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} }}

The freedom from work and social [[egalitarianism]] enjoyed on the day represented the conditions of the mythical [[Golden Age]], when [[Cronus|Kronos (Cronus)]] still ruled the world.<ref name=Graf-RelAncWld/> In the Golden Age, the earth had spontaneously supported human life, and since labor was unneeded, slavery had not existed.{{efn|name=Accius_desc_timepoint|The festivities are also described by the Roman-era Greek writer [[Lucian]],{{refn|name=Accius-fragm}} who was probably describing the Saturnalia of his day rather than the Attic-Ionic Kronia.}} William Hansen describes the Golden Age of Kronos as "a period of thorough harmony in which hierarchical, exploitative, and predatory relationships were nonexistent."{{nobreak|<ref name=Hansen-2002/>{{rp|pages=385, 391 [note 34]}} }}

The ''Kronia'' was a time for social restraints to be temporarily forgotten. Slaves were released from their duties, and participated in the festivities alongside the slave-owners. Slaves were "''permitted to run riot through the city, shouting and making a noise''."<ref name=Burkert-1985/> Other than the ''Kronia'', there is only limited evidence of religious devotion to [[Cronus|Kronos (Cronus)]].<ref name=Bremmer-2008/>{{rp|page=83}}

==See also==
* [[Cronus|Kronos (Cronus)]]
* [[Saturn (mythology)]]
* [[Saturnalia]]

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em|refs=

<ref name=Bremmer-2008>
{{cite book
|last=Bremmer |first=J.N. |author-link=Jan Bremmer
|year=2008
|title=Greek Religion and Culture, the Bible and the Ancient Near East
|pages=38, 82–83
|publisher=Brill
}}
</ref>

<ref name=Bremmer-RelAncWld>
{{cite book
|last=Bremmer |first=J.N. |author-link=Jan Bremmer
|editor-last=Johnston |editor-first=Sarah Iles
|date= 2004
|article=Ritual
|page=38
|title=Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide
|place=Cambridge, Massachusetts
|publisher=Harvard University Press
|isbn=0-674-01517-7
}}
</ref>

<ref name=Burkert-1985>
{{cite book
|first=Walter |last=Burkert |author-link=Walter Burkert
|year=1985
|title=Greek Religion
|page=231
|publisher=Harvard University Press
}}
</ref>

<ref name=EpistemeAcad-caldrs>
{{cite web
|title=Attic Calendar
|website=EpistemeAcademy.org
|series=Calendars
|url=https://www.epistemeacademy.org/calendars/yearly_calendar.html?year1=2020&vADBC=AD&CCode=Attic&day=1
|access-date=2021-05-03 }}
</ref>

<ref name=Graf-RelAncWld>
{{cite book
|first=Fritz |last=Graf
|date=2004
|editor-last=Johnston |editor-first=Sarah Iles
|article=Myth
|pages=52, 268
|title=Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide
|place=Cambridge, Massachusetts
|publisher=Harvard University Press
|isbn=0-674-01517-7
}}
</ref>

<ref name=Hansen-2002>
{{cite book
|last=Hansen |first=William F.
|year=2002
|title=Ariadne's Thread: A guide to international tales found in classical literature
|pages=385, 391
|publisher=Cornell University Press
|place=Ithaca, NY
}}
</ref>

}} 

[[Category:Festivals in ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Festivals in ancient Athens]]
[[Category:Cronus]]
[[Category:July observances]]
[[Category:August observances]]

{{ancientGreece-stub}}