Panathenaea

alternative Panathenaia

1. historicalAncient GreeceA festival formerly held annually in Athens to honour the city's patron goddess Athena, involving animal sacrifices, a grand procession, and, every fourth year, athletic and musical contests.

   Ion.— […] [T]here were contests in every species of music. […] I bore away the first prize at the games, O Socrates. / Socrates.—Well done! You have now only to consider how you shall win the Panathenæa.

   a. 1823 (date written), Plato, “[Essays, Letters from Abroad, Translations and Fragments] Ion; or, Of the Iliad; Translated from Plato”, in Percy Bysshe Shelley, transl., edited by [Mary Wollstonecraft] Shelley, The Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley, new edition, London: Edward Moxon, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 67, column 1

   2 more examples

   VVhen Panathænea vvere celebrated at Athens, an olde man gooing to take a place vvas mockingly reiected, at the laſt comming among the Lacedemonians all the youth gaue him place, vvhich yͤ Athenians liked vvell off, then one of the Sparthans cryed out: Uerily yͤ Athenians knovv vvhat ſhould be done, but they neuer doe it.

   [1578], Iohn Lylly [i.e., John Lyly], “Euphues and His Ephæbus. [Of the Education of Youth.]”, in Euphues. The Anatomy of Wyt. […], London: […] [Thomas East] for Gabriell Cawood, […], →OCLC, folio 57, verso

   Panathenæa. A ſolemnity held at Athens: vvherein the vvhole city men, vvomen and children vvere aſſembled. And ſuch games, dances and plaies as vvere then exhibited; or vvhat orations vvere then and there made, they called Panathenaik.

   [1603, Plutarch, “[An Explanation of Sundry Hard Words and Obscure Terms, in this Translation of Plutarch, […].] Panathenæa”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, →OCLC, page 645