Panathenaea: Or, A Singular Book on the Twin Festival of Minerva

...and in the form of a festival, the Panionia and the Panathenaea. That it was sacred to Minerva, as I have already stated, many authors teach us. Pollux, Book 1, Chapter 1, Section XXXII, where he lists certain festivals: "For the Muses, the Museia. For Hermes, the Hermaia. For Zeus, the Diasia and the Pandia. For Athena, the Panathenaea." The Scholiast on Euripides’ Hecuba: "Panathenaea, a festival of Athena." Theodoretus, Therapeutice VII: "To these [the gods], the destroyer of men an epithet often applied to the Devil or a malevolent spirit established festivals, public assemblies, and public feasts: the Pandia and Diasia to Zeus; the Heraia to Hera; and the Panathenaea to Athena." Libanius, Declamation XIV: "Let the altar not be seen, therefore, until Athena is propitiated with the Panathenaea, and Demeter with the mysteries." It was, in truth, by far the greatest. The Scholiast on Aristophanes’ Clouds: "It is sung that the Panathenaea is the greatest festival among the Athenians."

CHAPTER II.

And at first they were indeed called the Athenaea. Harpocration, where he deals with them: "Before this it was called the Athenaea, as Istrus has shown in the third book of his Attica." Suidas: "The Panathenaea were formerly called the Athenaea." Pausanias in his Arcadica: "I do not claim that the Panathenaea among the Athenians were established only recently; for this contest had the name Athenaea." And I find it by that name in the Scholiast on Aristophanes’ Birds: "For Athena, being the Polias protectress of the city, a robe of many colors was made, which they carried in the procession of the Athenians." Then they were called the Panathenaea after Theseus had brought all the inhabitants of Attica from their villages into the single city of Athens. Pausanias, in the passage already cited: "They say they were called the Panathenaea under Theseus, because they were established by the Athenians, all of whom had been gathered into one city." Or because the peoples of Attica celebrated them. Plutarch in Theseus: "He made the Panathenaea a common sacrifice." The Scholiast on Euripides’ Hecuba: "Panathenaea, a festival of Athena, with all the Athenians gathering there."