1.5 festivals

• Name the Greek festivals. (2)

  1 The Great Panathenaia 2 The City Dionysia
• Name the Roman festivals. (2)

  1 The Lupercalia 2 The Saturnalia
• Which gods were the Great Panathenaia, City Dionysia, Lupercalia and Saturnalia held in honour of?

  1 Athena 2 Dionysus 3 Lupercus 4 Saturn
• When did the Panathenaia take place?

  Athena's birthday
• Who took part in the Great Panathenaia? (2)

  1 Athenians 2 resident foreigners
• Name events held on the first four days of the Great Panathenaia. (9)

  1 Reciting Homer 2 Musical contests (flute/harp) 3 The stade race 4 Wrestling 5 Boxing 6 Pankration 7 Pentathlon 8 Chariot races 9 Horse races
• What was the prize for the events? (3)

  1 Panathenaic amphora 2 with Athena painted on one side 3 containing olive oil
• Name the tribal contests held on days 5 and 7. (3)

  1 Strength trials 2 war dance competition 3 boat race (day 7)
• What happened on the night before the procession?


  An all night celebration
• What happened on the morning of the procession?

  A torch race in teams of forty from each tribe
• What was brought in the procession to the Acropolis on the sixth day?

  The peplos (a robe embroidered with a scene of Athena fighting the Giants)
• Where was the procession shown in art (probably)?

  On the frieze around the Parthenon
• What took place on the Acropolis on the sixth day?

  A sacrifice of one hundred cows
• Who ate the sacrificial meat? (3)

  1 The priestess of Athena 2 important Athenians 3 the people
• What was the apobates event held on day seven? (2)

  1 A chariot race 2 in which a warrior would dismount and remount the chariot
• Who was supposed to have founded the Panathenaia?

  Theseus
• What led to the foundation of the City Dionysia? (3)

  1 Athens had rejected a statue of Dionysus 2 A plague then affected men's genitals 3 so they accepted Dionysus and started the festival
• Who was Dionysus? (3)


  1 God of parties 2 of wine 3 of drama
• Why did the festival take place in spring?

  Dionysus was associated with rebirth
• Where was the theatre and sanctuary of Dionysus?

  On the side of the Acropolis
• Who was the eponymous archon? (3)


  1 An Athenian magistrate 2 elected for one year 3 who organised the festival
• Who was the choregos?

  1 A rich Athenian 2 who paid for the costumes of one of the plays
• What was the dithyramb contest held on the first day? (2)

  1 a choral dance held to honour Dionysus 2 with 100 people from each tribe
• Who acted in the chorus? (2)

  1 Athenians 2 fifteen in each play
• What three events took place on the first day?

  1 grand procession (pompe) 2 dithyramb 3 the komos
• What was the komos? (5)

  1 men only 2 in the evening 3 bringing leather phalluses to the god 4 drinking 5 singing
• How long did the Dionysia last for?

  Five days
• What happened at the start of the second day? (2)

  1 sacrifice of piglet 2 ten generals poured a drink offering
• How much did it cost to attend the plays? (2)

  1 two obols (a day's wages) 2 but later, poor paid from Theoric Fund
• What were the usual themes of comedy plays? (3)

  1 war 2 politics 3 social life
• What did comedy offer the audience?

  A break from everyday life
• What did tragedy focus on? (2)

  1 human suffering 2 questions about human nature
• What did satyr plays offer? (2)

  1 comic relief 2 after three intense tragedies
• What happened on the fifth day?


  The plays were judged
• Who was the Roman god Lupercus? (2)


  1 God of fertility 2 and purification
• Who else other than Lupercus did the Lupercalia honour?

  Romulus
• When did the Lupercalia take place?

  15th February
• Who were the Luperci? (2)

  1 Priests of Lupercus 2 who were nobles
• Where did the first part of the Lupercalia take place? (2)

  1 In the Lupercal 2 the cave where Romulus and Remus were suckled by a wolf
• What two explanations were given for the Lupercalia's origins?

  1 From the Greek feast of wolves 2 from the the festival for the Greek god Pan