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The Ancient Greek Festival of Anthesteria The Ancient Greek Festival of Anthesteria A Study of Invisible Participants in Classical Athens Natalie Sofie Utheim Master thesis in history – Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History – Faculty of Humanities UNIVERSITY OF OSLO November 2019 II “The Ancient Greek Festival of Anthesteria” A Study of Invisible Participants in Classical Athens III © Natalie Sofie Utheim 2019 2019 “The Ancient Greek Festival of Anthesteria” – A Study of Invisible Participants in Classical Athens Natalie Sofie Utheim http://www.duo.uio.no/ Print: Norsk Aero AS, Oslo IV V VI Acknowledgements Writing this thesis has been such an interesting and challenging experience, and several people have contributed to its completion. First and foremost, I wish to thank my supervisor Knut Ødegård for reading my drafts and sharing his considerable knowledge on all things Greek, and for always having a relevant book on hand. I must also thank the Norwegian Institute at Athens, for the help and guidance I received during my brief stay in a city unlike any other I have visited, as well as enabling me to see and experience the places of which this thesis is centred. To five incredible and resourceful women; Kristina, Linda, Mathilde, Ane and Vilde, thank you so much for proofreading, giving me support when needed, and for inspiring me to shoot for the (academic) stars. I am forever grateful. Finally, my most affectionate thanks goes to the group of amazing people I have spent the better part of two years with on the third floor in Niels Treschows Hus, with weekly quizzes, numerous coffee-brakes, the occasional beer, and interesting discussions. I would especially like to thank Lisa, Mauricio, Poul, Vilde, Jørgen, and Michel, for being a constant source of information and support. VII Table of Contents “The Ancient Greek Festival of Anthesteria” .......................................................................... III Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. VII Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. VIII Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................ X Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Theme ................................................................................................................................. 1 The aim of this thesis ......................................................................................................... 2 Sources ............................................................................................................................... 3 Literature, theory and method ............................................................................................ 5 Historiography .................................................................................................................... 6 Ancient literature and archaeology ............................................................................................ 8 Literary Sources ................................................................................................................. 8 Archaeological sources .................................................................................................... 10 The Sanctuary and Theatre of Dionysus .......................................................................... 11 Greek Society ........................................................................................................................... 13 Attic Geography ............................................................................................................... 13 Democracy and political authority ................................................................................... 14 Crime and punishment ..................................................................................................... 16 Marriage and family ......................................................................................................... 18 The audience of theatre .................................................................................................... 20 Greek Religion ......................................................................................................................... 23 What is ancient Greek religion? ....................................................................................... 23 Myth ................................................................................................................................. 24 Ethology ........................................................................................................................... 26 Herms ............................................................................................................................... 27 Spondē and Thuein ........................................................................................................... 28 Prayer ............................................................................................................................... 31 The mediators of religion ................................................................................................. 32 Dionysus ................................................................................................................................... 35 Myths ................................................................................................................................ 35 Curiosities in the cult of Dionysus ................................................................................... 37 VIII Dionysus in Literature and Theatre .................................................................................. 41 Concerning festivals ................................................................................................................. 49 A religious calendar ......................................................................................................... 50 A Polythetic Approach: Location ..................................................................................... 51 Participants ....................................................................................................................... 53 Festival Programme and Rituals in the Anthesteria ................................................................. 57 The Anthesteria in comedy: The Acharnians of Aristophanes ........................................ 64 Mythical Background ....................................................................................................... 67 The Participation of Athenian women ..................................................................................... 70 Literature .................................................................................................................................. 75 References ........................................................................................................................ 75 Online Resources and Encyclopedias: ............................................................................. 80 IX Table of Figures Figure 1: Sanctuary and theater of Dionysus Emeutherus, at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis. Floor plan with the old and new temple of Dionysos south of the theatre of Dionysus. ©Diggy Benesou 2006 Figure 2: Red-Figure Bell krater, Nikias Painter, ca. 420BCE, National Archaeological Museum of Spain (Photograph ©Marie-Lan Nguyen 2008) Figure 3: Stamnos, Dinos Painter, Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale 2419 side A (FR pl. 36) Figure 4: Chous, Eretria Painter, Athens, National Archaeological Museum bs 319 (photograph National Archaeological Museum Athens, Spelios Pistas) ©Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports/Archaeological Receipts Fund X Introduction Theme Greek religion is a topic familiar in many respects, but at the same time difficult to comprehend and curiously obscure to the modern reader. Through ancient literature and art, the modern reader and museum visitor is able to read and behold the spectacular and grotesque, the sophisticated and the barbaric, and the reasonable and the irrational. The study of ancient Greek religion is traced back to the time of which it was practiced,1 and has been a study of interest to historians, linguists, anthropologists, philologists, and philosophers ever since. An important aspect of Greek religion is the many ways the worship and devotion was manifested. The most discernible is the celebration of divinities in festivals of varying size and intervals. The study of ancient religious festivals is as the study of the religion itself largely centred on myth and ritual. Religious festivals were in the centre of Greek society, both in terms of political and social organization. The festivals were numerous and diverse, and served an important function in the organization of the calendar and agricultural year and gathered the participants in a communal act of worship in order to ensure the protection or prosperity in public and private spheres. The importance of these celebrations are not to be underestimated, considering the sheer number days set aside for such celebrations.2 Despite the important function the festivals served, the study of them has been rather limited, and especially
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