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The Tyrannicides, their Cult and the Panathenaia: A Note

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2012

Julia L. Shear
Julia L. Shear*
Affiliation:
American School of Classical Studies at Athens*
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Abstract

The story of the Athenian Tyrannicides Harmodios and Aristogeiton is well known to modern scholars who agree that the two men were figures of cult. The occasion for these rituals has inspired rather less agreement and the rites have often been connected with the Epitaphia. In this article, I re-examine the ritual setting of the cult. As I argue, evidence not previously brought into these discussions identifies the Panathenaia as the primary occasion for the Tyrannicides' rituals. This connection is further reinforced by other visual imagery (Panathenaic amphorae, sculpture, vase-painting) which links Harmodios and Aristogeiton to the festival of Athena and its celebration of divine victory over the Giants.

Keywords

AthensreligionTyrannicidesPanathenaia
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Hellenic Studies , Volume 132 , November 2012 , pp. 107 - 119
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies 2012

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