παναθηναῖαι, in Grecian antiquity, an ancient Athenian festival, in honour of Minerva the protectress of Athens, and called Athenaia. Harpocrates and Suidas refer the institution of this festival to Erichthonius IV., king of Athens, who lived before Theseus. Theobret alone says the feast was established by Orpheus. Be this as it will, till Theseus it was never a particular feast of the city of Athens, and was called simply Athenaia; but that prince, uniting all the people of Attica into one republic, they afterwards all assisted at the feast; whence the name Panathenaea, i.e. the feast of all Attica. In effect all Attica was present; and each people sent a bullock for the sacrifices, and for the entertainment of the vast multitude of people assembled.

There were two festivals under this denomination, the greater and the lesser. The greater panathenaea were exhibited every five years; the less every three, or, according to some writers, annually. Though the celebration of neither, at first, employed more than one day; yet in after times they were protracted for the space of many days, and solemnized with greater preparations and magnificence than at their first institution.

The ceremonies were the same in the great and the little panathenaea: excepting for a banner, wherein the actions of the goddess were represented in embroidery, performed by maids, with the names of those who had distinguished themselves in the service of the republic; which was only borne at the greater.

Prizes were established there for three different kinds of combat: the first consisted of foot and horse races; the second, of athletic exercises; and the third, of poetical and musical contests. These last are said to have been instituted by Pericles. Singers of the first class, accompanied by performers on the flute and cithara, exercised their talents here, upon subjects prescribed by the directors of these exhibitions.

The following is the order observed in this festival, according to M. Barthélemy, who quotes numerous authorities on the occasion: "The inhabitants of the different towns of Attica thronged to the capital, leading with them a great number of victims destined for sacrifices to the goddess. In the first morning were the horse-races, in which the sons of the first citizens of Athens contended for the honour of the victory. In the stadium were other young men struggling for the prize at wrestling, and different exercises of the body; and in the Odeum were several musicians engaged in gentler and less perilous contests. Some executed pieces on the flute or cithara; others sang, and accompanied their voices with one of these instruments. The subject proposed to them was the eulogium of Harmodius, Aristogiton, and Thrasybulus, who had rescued the republic from the yoke of the tyrants by which it was oppressed: for, among the Athenians, public institutions are so many monuments for the citizens who have served the state, and lessons for those who are called upon to render it service. A crown of olive, and a vessel filled with oil, were the prizes bestowed upon the victors. Crowns were afterwards conferred on individuals, who appeared to the people to have merited that mark of honour by their zeal in the service of their country.

"At the Ceramicus passed a procession, formed without the walls, and which began at that place to file off. It was composed of different classes of citizens crowned with chaplets of flowers, and remarkable for their personal beauty. Among the number were old men of a majestic and venerable appearance, bearing branches of olive; middle-aged men, who, armed with lances and with bucklers, seemed only to repulse war; youth from eighteen to twenty, who sang hymns in honour of the goddess; beautiful boys, clad in a simple tunic, adorned only with their native graces; and, lastly, girls, who were of the first families in Athens, and whose features, shape, and deportment, attracted every eye. With their hands they held baskets on their heads, which, under a rich veil, contained sacred utensils, cakes, and everything necessary for the sacrifices. Female attendants, who followed them, with one hand held over them an umbrella, and carried in the other a folding chair. This is a species of servitude imposed on the daughters of all foreigners settled at Athens: a servitude they share in common with their fathers and mothers, who likewise carried on their shoulders vessels filled with water and honey, for the purpose of libations. They were followed by eight musicians; four of whom played on the flute and four on the lyre. After them came rhapsodists fingering the poems of Homer; and dancers armed at all points, who, attacking each other at intervals, represented, to the sound of the flute, the battle of Minerva with the Titans. Next came a ship that appeared to glide over the ground by the power of the wind, and the efforts of a great number of rowers, but which really was put in motion by concealed machinery. The vessel had a sail of light stuff, on which young girls had represented in embroidery the victory of Minerva over the Titans. On it also they had depicted, by order of the government, some heroes whose illustrious deeds had merited to be celebrated with those of the gods. This procession marched on with solemn steps, under the direction of several magistrates; and traversed the most frequented quarter of the city amidst a crowd of spectators, most of whom were placed on scaffolds erected for the occasion. When it had reached the temple of the Pythian Apollo, the sail of the ship was taken down and carried to the citadel, where it was deposited in the temple of Minerva.

"In the evening, at the academy, was the torch race. The course is only six or seven stadia in length. It extends from the altar of Prometheus, which is at the gate of this garden, to the walls of the city. Several young men are stationed in this interval at equal distances. When the shouts of the multitude have given the signal, the first lights his flambeau at the altar, and, running with it, hands it to the second, who transmits it in the same manner to the third, and so successively. He who suffers it to be extinguished can no more enter the lists; and they who slacken their pace are exposed to the railleries, and even blows, of..." The populace. To gain the prize, it is necessary to have passed through the different stations with success. This trial of skill was frequently repeated, and is diversified according to the nature of the festivals.

"The candidates who had been crowned at the different exercises invited their friends to supper. Sumptuous repasts were given in the prytaneum and other public places, which lasted till the following day. The people among whom the immolated victims were distributed spread tables on every side, and gave a loose to their lively and tumultuous mirth."