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To what extent do you think the great Panathenaia was a religious occasion?

Main topic

For

sacrifices

There was a huge sacrifice where about a hundred oxen were slaughtered. THis would've proved that they wanted to show everyone how important the festival was to them and Athena otherwise that many cows wouldm't have been slaughtered.

Peplos

The peplos was a dress made of gold and purple dedicated to Athena. The gift would've formed the focus of the festival and it would've been made by aristocratic girls which would be a great honor. The peplos would've been suitable as Athena was the godesses of weaving.

Athena's birthday

Tilly the delicate flower

Athena was the patron godess of Athens therefore she and her birthday deserved more credit than some musical events that had no relevance to Athens or its history.

Difficult to separate

In some cases it is very difficult to separate sport and religion. For example in the Olympics athletes were made to swear on oath to Zeus that they would not cheat in the races. Also victories in competions such as the great Panatheneia itself were dedicated to the Gods.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we think the Great Panathenaia was originally introduced for the purpose of worshipping Athena, however, as the festival grew and became more popular, it became less and less about religion and more about relaxing and generally having a good time.

Against

Percentage of population who celebrated

There is a chance that not everyone who celebrated the Panathenaia actually worshipped her, just as how most people who celebrate Christmas in the modern day just do it for the sake of having time off to relax.

Social

In Athens, people didn't often get a chance to get together and socialise so religeous festivals like the Panathenaia were some of the few chances Athenians got to socialise and eat cooked meat and other delicacies.

Music

People would come to show off their musical talent by singing, playing the aulos or lyre and reciting the works of Homer. This meant it was a chance to make one's talents known as well as celebrate the birth of Athena.

Sports

The main part of the festival was a sporting competition of similar scale to the olympics, suggesting The Great Panathenaia had sporting significance. The prizes for these events included amphorae, large sums of money and commodities such as olive oil.