#akropolis sanctuary

[thesteintist]

[sunwingsunset]

Assassin's Creed Odyssey ↳ Scenery / Akropolis Sanctuary

[davidstanleytravel]

A famous Hellenistic statue of The Dying Gaul once stood on this pedestal in the Sanctuary of Athena on Pergamon Akropolis. Turkey. The original bronze statue of The Dying Gaul is lost but a marble Roman copy is now in the Capitoline Museums in Rome.

[the-good-spartan]

The Gods worshipped at Sparta - Further Details.

Following on from my post re. Ares not being worshipped at Sparta, below is a list of gods and heroes who were.

I have excluded those shrines and temples that we know of outside of Sparta itself, because these can be considered perioikic rather than Spartan places of worship. It is possible that Spartiates might have worshipped there, but in my opinion, it's much less likely.

I am still collating my extensive notes, but I am fairly certain this is a complete list of those we can say with any certainty were worshipped.

Agamemnon

From 550, worshipped as a hero at Amyklai (which was the southernmost village of Sparta, five kilometres south of the akropolis).

Alexandra

Worshipped at Amyklai, probably to be identified with Trojan Kassandra, thus associated with Agamemnon (6th C)

Apollo & Hyakinthos

Worshipped in Amkylia at the Amyklaion/Apollonion, and honoured during the Hykainthia.

Hyakinthos may originally have been a vegetation deity; his worship was earth-bound in character. He was perhaps the aboriginal deity of Amyklai (pre-Dorian & pre-Greek) and his worship spread out from Lakedaimon.

Apollo was the chief deity, worshipped in his martial aspect.

Cult site of Apollo Hyakinthos was adorned with an especially showy piece installed in 6th C, namely a multi-imaged throne of stone & precious materials for the idol.

Hyakinthos' mythology, summarised from Apollodorus’ Mythology: Cleio [daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, Memory] and Pieros [son of Magnes (who?)] defied Aphrodite and slept together. Cleio had mocked Aphrodite for falling in love with Adonis, so Aphrodite doomed her to suffer the same fate. Loving mortals was fine for the gods, but was considered demeaning for goddesses. Hyakinthos was born of the union.

He aroused the passion of Thamyris [son of Phillammon & Argiope (nymph)] who was the first man to love other males. Hyakinthos later died at the hand of Apollo, who became his lover and killed him accidentally when throwing a discus.’ It was sometimes said that the west or north wind also sought his favour, so when he went with Apollo instead, blew the discus on purpose.

Artemis Issoria

Sanctuary in the west of Sparta (Mesoa?)

Artemis Karyatis

Located outside Sparta, at a perioikic town called Karyai. It was northeast of Sparta along the river Oinous, an area deeply important to Sparta. Spartan girls participated in dancing there.

Artemis Orthia

Worshipped at Limnai. First stone temple was built c. 565 ie. from spoils of 1st Messenian War. Temple Artemis Orthia integral to agoge. She was a goddess who was understood to stalk the boundary between youth and adulthood.

Athena Chalkioikos [of the Brazen-House.]

Worshipped on the akropolis of Sparta.

Demeter and Kore

Worshipped at the Eleusion, south of the Menelaion.

Dionysos Kolatas

Worshipped in Sparta, eastern side of the Akropolis?

Eleven women (unspecified age) ran a race in his honour; they (the girls/women) were called the Dionysiades. The race was run to select a priestess of Dionysos Kolatas. Exclusively open to Spartiate women.

Dioskuri (Kastor and Polydeukes)

Helen’s brothers; may have been house spirits before they became heroes. Supposed to live underground at Therapne, and played a major role in Lakedaimon culture and politics. The (perioikic) towns of Pellana and Pephnos each claimed to be their birthplace.

Their images were carried with the army when it marched as a talisman (one or both of them).

Driodones

Local dieties. Women ran races in their honour.

Helen & Menelaus

Worshipped at the Menelaion, east of Sparta. This is the area where the Mycenaean city of Sparta once stood.

It was believed at Sparta that Helen had the power to beautify plain girls if they worshipped her.

Foot races were run by women in Helen’s honour. 240 Korai ran the race, which was open to Perioikoi as well as Spartan women. This was perhaps a pre-nuptial rite.

Orestes

Bones retrieved from Tegea and returned to Sparta where they were buried. This was done, as with the Menelaion, to create a strong religious bond between Sparta and Arkadia, during the time when Sparta had designs on the area (Unsuccessful).

Zeus Messapeus

Temple/sanctuary 4km north of Sparta.

[t3ov7]

Ο βραχώδης λόφος της Ακρόπολης, που δεσπόζει στο κέντρο της σύγχρονης Αθήνας, βρισκόταν το σπουδαιότερο και μεγαλοπρεπέστερο ιερό της αρχαίας πόλης, αφιερωμένο, κατά ��ύριο λόγο, στην προστάτιδα θεά της, την Αθηνά. The rocky hill of the Acropolis, which dominates the center of modern Athens, was the most important and majestic sanctuary of the ancient city, dedicated, primarily, to its patron goddess, Athena. 1-2:Παρθενωνας/Parthenon 3:Προπύλαια Ακρόπολης/Propylaea of Akropolis 4:Προπύλαια, Ερέχθειο, Παρθενώνας/Propylaea, Erechtheion, Parthenon 5-6:Ωδείο Ηρώδου Αττικού/Odeon of Herodes Atticus 8:Θέατρο του Διονύσου/Theatre of Dionysus

[lifesamarize]

Great Zimbabwe Ruinen

08.09.2022 – Zimbabwe: Masvingo [Sama]:

Heute sind wir früh aufgestanden, haben unsere Sachen gepackt und uns auf den Weg nach Masvingo gemacht. Vor uns lagen 4 Stunden Autofahrt auf vorzüglichen Straßen (nichts im Vergleich zu Deutschland, aber wir sind deutlich schlechteres gewohnt). In der Nähe von Masvingo lag unser eigentliches Ziel. Great Zimbabwe.

Es ist eine Ruinenanlage aus dem 11. bis 15. Jhd.. Die Anlage zeigt die Überreste von Great Zimbabwe, der Hauptstadt des historischen Königreichs Simbabwe. Sie ist mit einer der wichtigsten Steinruinen südlich der Sahara.

Als wir am Parkplatz der Ruinenanlage ankamen hat sich Tobi direkt erstmal zweimal beklauen lassen.

Er hielt ein Brötchen in der Hand, aß es genüsslich und plötzlich kam wie ein Torpedo geschossen ein Vervet Monkey (südliche Grünmeerkatze) und riss es ihm aus der Hand. Der Affe zufrieden, Tobi dagegen traurig. Das war seine erste richtige Mahlzeit an diesem Tag. Nachdem ich ihn gebührend ausgelacht habe, mein Brötchen mit meinem Leben verteidigte, tat Tobi mir leid und ich gab ihm mein Brötchen.

DOCH auch dieses Brötchen war vor den Affen nicht sicher. Es war dieselbe Taktik die sie anwandten. … Also blieb uns am Ende nichts weiter als zwei Äpfel und 3 Möhren als Mittagsessen übrig.

Die Ruinen von Great Simbabwe erstrecken sich über 7,22 km2 und sind relativ gut erhalten. Es ist ein riesiges Gebiet und besitzt eine Akropolis auf einem Hügel, wo einst Könige und Häuptlinge lebten. Unten im Tal lebte das Volk in einfachen Behausungen, die aus Granitblöcken gefertigt wurden. Sie waren so perfekt geschnitten, dass kein Mörtel erforderlich war, um sie zusammenzuhalten.

Wir wanderten ca. 4 Stunden durch die beeindruckende Anlage, bis wir dann kurz vor Sonnenuntergang uns zu unserer überteuerten Unterkunft (für eine Nacht) aufmachten. Dort aßen wir noch schnell im hoteleigenen Restaurant. Es gab Pap und Hähnchenkeule.

Die letzten Tage in Mutare haben wir uns viele Gedanken gemacht über den weiteren Trip. Wir haben und nun entschieden, welchen Weg wir fahren werden. Wir werden nach Sambia fahren und uns dort einige Nationalparks anschauen. Botswana, wo wir gerne die Makgadikgadi-Salzpfannen und das Khama Rhino Sanctuary sehen wollten, muss erstmal warten. Wir dachten uns, nach Botswana kommt man eher nochmal als nach Sambia.

Und auch Simbabwe hat sich als interessantes Reiseland ergeben. Wir machen uns morgen auf den Weg zu den Chinhoyi Caves. Von dort aus gehts nach Kariba (einem Ort an der Grenze zu Sambia). Dort bleiben wir einige Nächte und genießen die Natur. Ab da fahren wir in den Nationalpark "Mana Pools" und treten im Nationalpark selbst über die Grenze nach Sambia.

[star-of-zeus]

Hellenic Priests: Ritual Masters

First in my priesthood series I wish to talk about one of the commonly overlooked duties of hellenic priests: experts of ritual.

Due to what I suspect is largely Christian influence, many people believe that modern-day priests are to teach and guide others towards their god. While of course that is, in fact, the case in certain religions, priests in ancient Greece didn't quite do that.

The priest's presence was also required to ensure the exact observance of the ritual which conditioned the validity of the sacrifice... The Greek priest neither taught nor preached; he was mainly the servant of the god and a professional of sacrifice.  (p. 38 of Priesthood)

As each individual temple or sanctuary was typically devoted to a different deity or different aspect of a deity, the rituals performed were also unique.

No special training was required of the future priests. Each sanctuary had a fixed ritual and the celebrant simply followed its detailed rubrics. (pg. 38 of Priesthood)

As the future priest/esses had presumably grown up sacrificing to and serving the gods, they didn’t need to learn about a lot of the different aspects of hellenic polytheism. The only new knowledge they really needed was knowledge of the rites they would be performing in their priesthood on behalf of their god and their community. 

Priestesses, like priests, underwent no special training (Isokrates To Nikokles 6), presumably learning their tasks ���on the job’ or, when possible, from the previous incumbents. There were no books of ritual in traditional Greek religion, unlike in ancient Rome, so all knowledge of ritual was verbal, especially in the case of the various secret rites priestesses presided over in honour of goddesses. (pg. 1 and 2 of Priestesses of Ancient Greece)

Generally, there seemed to be two different kinds of rituals: rituals for the god and rituals for the community. I will give examples of both, one being done by a priest of Zeus Lykaios for rain and another being done to honor to Zeus Polieus.

If a drought lasts for a long time and by now their seed in the grounds and their trees are drying up, in such circumstances the priest of Zeus Lykaios prays at the water [of Hagno, a spring on the mountain] and makes all the sacrifices that custom requires; he then lowers an oak branch to the surface – not deep into the spring – and as the water is stirred water vapour rises from it, like mist, and after a short while the vapour becomes cloud and draws other clouds to it until it makes rain fall on the land of the Arcadians. Pausanias 8.38.4 (pg. 60 of Zeus)

As you can see, this ritual isn’t one done in secret and kept hidden by the priest/esses of the temple like others were, but rather one that might have been the subject of a request to the priest of Zeus Lykaios from the people, so that the priest could make this request to Zeus on their behalf. 

Zeus Polieus (of the City) was worshiped in many Greek cities, often with Athena Polias, the citadel goddess, as his partner. The Athenians preserved an ancient and curious ritual for this god, carried out on the Akropolis at his annual festival, the Dipolieia. Already considered old-fashioned by the Classical period, the Dipolieia ritually linked Zeus’ Archaic role as an agricultural deity with his civic function as a guarantor of justice. According to Pausanias (1.24.4): They put barley mixed with wheat on the altar of Zeus and leave no guard there. The ox that they have ready for the sacrifice goes to the altar and touches the grains. They call one of the priests the Ox-Slayer (Bouphonos); [after striking the ox] he drops the axe and flees, for this is the custom. And refusing to recognize the man who did the deed, they put the axe on trial. (Ancient Greek Cults)

The special title of the Ox-Slayer priest brings up the different titles and positions for cult officials in hellenic polytheism, which I will go into more detail about in a future post. However, this example reiterates the idea that priest/esses would preside over ritual animal sacrifice as one of their primary functions within their temples or sanctuaries.  This post definitely got a little bit longer than expected, but I hope it was useful nonetheless! If you have any wish to hear about a specific aspect of hellenic priesthood, feel free to send in an ask!

Sources:

Priesthood by Leopold Sabourin, Priestesses in Ancient Greece by Matthew P. J. Dillon, Zeus by Ken Dowden, Ancient Greek Cults by Jennifer Larson.

[thegrapeandthefig]

The Caves of Pan

This post is a bit of an accident. My initial idea was not to write about the importance of caves in the worship of Pan. However, I soon realized that in order to write about what I had intended to, I would need to touch upon this topic first. So here we are, what was supposed to be a quick, simple post is now a series. Welcome to part One.

Last time I wrote about Pan I had briefly mentionned the topic. In hindsight, those posts were very flawed, as they were merely reading notes and did not give much context nor nuance.

Pan was indeed worshipped in caves, but he isn't alone there. In fact, he has always shared them with the Nymphs and was actually worshipped alongside them.  Or, to be precise, the Nymphs shared their caves with him. For the most part, they were there before his cult became increasingly popular after 490 BC.

This turning point is told to us by Herodotus, as Jennifer Larson explains:

"According to Herodotus 6.105, the herald and trained runner Philippides was sent to the Spartans and, on his way through Arkadia, was accosted by the goat-footed god, who asked why the Athenians did not honor him, since he had often helped them before and would do so again. Afterward, the Athenians, believing that the Arkadian god had aided them at Marathon, installed Pan’s cult in a cave on the north slope of the Akropolis. [...] Once Pan made his entrance, he became exceedingly popular, and he was associated with the nymphs first in Attic caves, then at virtually every Greek nymph cave, with the old sanctuary at Pitsa in the area of Sikyon being a rare exception "

This is where the idea of the cave as Pan’s dwelling gets interesting. The Nymphs were worshipped there for a much longer time, which leads us to the fact that in Arcadia, Pan’s homeland, his worship was not linked to caves*. Seemingly, the Athenians deemed appropriate to add Pan alongside their pre-existing worship of the Nymphs, in a place that they thought was more adapted to both the wilderness of his native Arkadia and Pan's nature. In Arkadia, however, Pan had his own sanctuaries (and sometimes temples) up in the mountains and was worshipped alone. Now that this is settled, let's take a closer look at some (3 because otherwise this will be way too long) of those caves. 

The Phyle Cave on Mount Parnes, Attica

Luckily for us, we have literary sources for this cave through Menander's only (surviving) play, Dyskolus, written in the 4th century BC. The plot is set in the cave and gives us a nice description of the kind of ritual and celebrations performed there. Without going in the details of the plot, at some point, the main character's mother has a dream sent by Pan. She then decides to plan out a sacrifice to the cave. What we can take from the description of the religious event is that a procession to the cave is organized to bring the sacrificial animal to the shrine. They bring along baskets, cooking ustensils, wine, offerings, torches and rugs. Once there, they play music and sacrifice the animal. They proceed with offering incense, cakes and the parts of the animal that go to Pan. The other part of the meat is cooked and feasted upon by the participants, who rejoice in music and wine. It's honestly safe to assume that this description is pretty accurate, as archaeological evidence of worship in the cave have been found.

The Corycian Cave on Mount Parnassus, Delphi

Mount Parnassus is sacred in more ways than one.  It is precious to Apollo, the Muses and Dionysus but Pan and the Nymphs have their dwelling in the Corycian Cave. Excavations in the cave have indicated that the worship of the Nymphs here predates Pan's, whose presence is first attested by 4th century dedications. During the Classical period, when the Corycian Nymphs were consistently associated with Apollo, the cave is thought to have been an annex to the sanctuary of Delphi, but intended for humbler people who left numerous but cheap offerings. Many of the offerings found were clay objects (vases and figurines), bronze or iron rings and astragaloi (knucklebones used for divination). It is possible that any divination that occurred in the Corycian Cave was for the benefit of rural people who had a greater connection to the Nymphs as a nature deity, just as they were tied to the land to a greater extent than city dwellers. The vases very likely held liquid offerings. Among more specific offerings found there, there was a small marble figurine of Pan and others representing satyrs. Due to its proximity to the sanctuary of Delphi, this cave has attracted pilgrims from various places, probably as far as Illyria.

The Vari Cave, Mount Hymettos, Attica

The Vari cave is truly a beautiful example of what a place of worship to Pan and the Nymphs can be. It was also shared with Apollon. This cave started being used as early as the 6th century BC and has been renovated during the 5th century. It has a staircase, several inscriptions, reliefs and a seated statue. A fragment of a relief depicting Pan is believed to have been placed above his shrine. Surprisingly, he is not shown as a satyr, but in a fully human form. However, he is recognizable by his attributes: a syrinx (panflute) and a lagobolon (hunting stick). The small shrine to Apollo was carved directly out of the rock.

So this was... an introductory post. In the next part I will be focusing a lot more on the Vari Cave, since there is much more to say about it, and I will be exploring Pan's relationship with music, sound and noise. When I get there, you'll understand why it was important to set the landscape first.  Still haven't written the next part. Don't know how long it'll take me, hopefully not too long. So stay tuned. Also, no bibliography for now, I will be putting the whole thing in part 2.

*I am aware that this contradicts claims I have made in the first post I made a few months (year?) back. Mistakes happen, and this one now stands corrected.

[blotoutthesunfightintheshade]

Skyros

*Statue of Theseus - When Theseus returned to Athens, other factions had seized power. He decided to leave the city and return to Skyros, but he was betrayed by King Lykomedes, who tossed him off a cliff. 

*Temple of Achilles - In Greek mythology, Achilles was hidden in childhood on Skyros and disguised as one of King Lykomedes’s daughters. It was an attempt to elude the fatal destiny he met during the Trojan War. 

*Skyros - The city of Skyros, which shares the island’s name, was famed for its goats and marble quarries. It had a fortified akropolis, a port, and sanctuaries dedicated to Achilles and Athena

-Hilltop sanctuarys for Aphrodite and Zeus

- Heros Fall sync point - Great arch over ocean.

[theprettyinthemundane]

Offerings to Pan

Here are some offerings that were given to Pan in the past! To read more about this please read Phillipe Borgeaud’s The Cult of Pan in Ancient Greece , it has so much information about the history, cultus, and myths. An important note: This is merely descriptive a simple exploration of what the literature has to say about this topic. This is not meant to be all inclusive, there are likely many things this post does not include and certainly feel free to comment or message me if I have made any mistakes. Thank you!

Like offerings to other gods, honey, cheese, milk, and cakes were set around the altar and offered to Pan and Pan received libations of wine (1, p. 163). Although the offerings most proper to Pan … according to Pharsalia … are laughter and good humor (a good spirit) and … “a just excess”(1, p. 139). One aspect of Pan that gets forgotten is his connection to laughter dance, and music which were related to his role as a fertility god, so that’s where this is coming from (probably). Pan was also “honored by clapping the hands… krotos so dear to the god; it is a ritual act proper to his cult (1, p. 149). Music and dance were also important parts of his cult, fundemental even (1). This relates back to his origin in Arkadia and a few other things that deserve their own post, so I won't dwell on it very much right now.

A related side note: according to tradition it was forbidden to approach Pan in silence, as “approaching the god in silence would mean turning oneself over to the acoustic illusion that are his specialty” (1. P. 166). Also, at some of Pan’s sanctuaries (namely one at the Akropolis ) couples would have sex there (1, 2). This does not seem to have been specifically to honor Pan, although one author notes “Pan, a god with a tendency to lust, would never refuse to offer protection” (3). To me this appears to be connected to how Pan was a positive symbol to many as opposed to a symbol of panic alone.

If this topic interests you be sure to check out the theoi project page too!

Citations:

1) Borgeaud, Philippe. The Cult of Pan in Ancient Greece. University of Chicago Press, 1988.

2) Scott, Michael. “Mapping the Religious Landscape: The Case of Pan in Athens.” Theoretical Approaches to the Archaeology of Ancient Greece: Manipulating Material Culture, edited by Lisa C. Nevett, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 2017, pp. 212–229. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.8287082.14.

3) MASTRAPAS, ANTONIS. “THE BATTLE OF MARATHON AND THE INTRODUCTION OF PAN'S WORSHIP TO ATHENS: THE POLITICAL DIMENSION OF A LEGEND THROUGH WRITTEN EVIDENCE AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS.” Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies. Supplement, no. 124, 2013, pp. 111–122. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44216259.

[arjuna-vallabha]

The Temple of Asklepios was an open temple to the Greek god of healing Asklepios on the southern slopes of the Akropolis Sanctuary in Athens, Greece.  Reconstruction made by Ubisoft for the game Assassin’s Creed.

[thesteintist]

[en-lumine]

PREVIEW: The Takahashi Family Saga - Of Roads to Redemption (IV)

Recap: Takeda displays disturbing abilities of telepathy and telekinesis, far beyond his control. Kenshi seeks to install mental markers for him, to train his mind in kombat, lest he tear himself apart during the heat of battle.

Hotaru narrowed his eyes, but said nothing for a while, ruminating the swordsman’s words. His powerful arms remained crossed at his chest, as he stood well over seven feet tall, far above the Takahashi duo. The twin suns of Seido, at the verge of setting, shone brilliantly behind his head - orange spheres of glowing light that somehow softened the harshness of angular Seidan structures that surrounded them. Hotaru’s white hair reflected in the light like diamonds – despite his imposing presence, he himself was a sight to behold.

As instructed by his father, Takeda kept his expression impassive, jaw relaxed, and hands visible at all times – conscious that it could take as little as a contemplative frown to be labelled insolent and impudent to the Seidans, especially since he hailed from another realm. 

Yet he couldn’t help but let his eyes wander around. It seemed as if he had stepped into a set of some science fiction film. To the eighteen-year old, Seido filled his heart with immense wonderment. He presently stood at the apex of a staircase – one that ascended high without any support seemingly. Pyramids rose to either side of the stairs, white marble like structures now awash in golden light from the suns. ‘Official structures for record-keeping,’ Kenshi had said when Takeda had asked what was inside those buildings. Before chuckling to himself – casually recounting that a long-running joke between the realms was that a Seidan perhaps would prefer sleeping next to his record-book than a woman. 

Nevertheless, Takeda remained fixated on his surroundings, deciding that ignoring Hotaru’s condescension would perhaps be better in this scenario than reacting at all. The air was clean and fresh, and the sky above them in mid-sunset, glittering with millions of hues of gold he had never seen before. Yet – there was a sense of danger, in the air. He could not quite place it in his head – but it seemed to envelope the entirety of their surroundings – so that despite the beautiful, sleek and symmetrical lay of the land, it almost seemed as if they were standing in the midst of an invisible battlefield.

“I worry that the spawn of Chaos could still linger within the boy – a risk that I am rather unwilling to take,” finally boomed Hotaru, slightly apologetic, but still authoritative in his claim.

“Havik is dead, Hotaru. You have it on my word that no Chaos will follow through my son into Seido – Earthrealm’s interests are clear in the Reiko Accords, and we have no designs on the Realm of Order, nor any wish to further the cause of the Resistance. True neutrals, a balance in the greater scheme of things.”

“That, I am aware of. But freedom to roam the realms is worrisome to us, as you could imagine—” Hotaru completed, with a sly smile.

Kenshi merely gestured with openness: “We only seek to Order the chaos within ourselves, Hotaru.” He said as he brought a fist right above his chest. “… Lest it destroys everything that we have built so far…”

“These times are uncertain, swordsman. But I will grant you and your son one night at the Akropolis. At daylight, you must leave - otherwise we will consider you collaborators with Darrius, and prosecute you accordingly…”

“I thank you, High Seidan Guard,” Kenshi replied with sincerity, bowing with respect while Takeda hurriedly followed pursuit. Hotaru returned the gesture, before walking off to prepare the necessary warrants that would grant the Earthrealmers nightly sanctuary in the highest station in Seido.

-------------

Dedicate this to @therealpoesdaughter for inspiring me to continue writing, and especially @the-06, who I know has been waiting for an Order-realm write up for a very, VERY long time! 

Hope you folks enjoy :)

[davidstanleytravel]

The 2nd century BC Sanctuary of Athena is one of the oldest remains on Pergamon Akropolis, Turkey. The long stoa on the north side of the temple is adjacent to the ruins of a famous parchment library, one of the largest in antiquity with 200,000 volumes.

[a-gnosis]

The Arrhēphoroi

When it was time to weave the peplos destined to be presented to Athena during the Panathenaia, the women workers were assisted by little girls clad in white, about seven years old, and chosen from elite families to serve Athena.These girls, known as the arrhēphoroi, lived on the Akropolis "with the goddess" for the rest of the year.

“During Skirophorion, the arrhēphoroi were called on to perform a secret nocturnal rite. According to Pausanias (1.27.3), Athena's priestess gave them sacred objects in baskets, which they carried on their heads to an enclosure in the city not far from the sanctuary of Aphrodite in the Gardens, accessible by a "natural underground descent." Neither the priestess nor the girls knew what the objects were, but when they reached their destination, they exchanged what they were carrying for other hidden objects, and returned to the Akropolis.”

“Their journey reflects the myth that Athena gave the daughters of Kekrops something secret to carry in a basket, which turned out to be the snake-legged, earthborn infant Erichthonios. When the girls disobeyed the goddess' command and peeked into the basket, they were terrified and leapt from the Akropolis.” (Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide by Jennifer Larson)

According to Jennifer Larson, this curious ritual has been interpreted as a fertility rite and/or a rite of passage, especially given the mention of Aphrodite and the comment of one scholiast that the secret objects were dough models of male genitalia and snakes. However, Matthew Dillon argues in Girls and Women in Classical Greek Religion that this probably is a confusion with the fertility worship undertaken at the Thesmophoria, since the girls are too young for a rite of sexual passage. "But they do represent girls chosen from the well-born, and so they were the 'best' which the community had to offer as substitutes for the girls who disobeyed Athena at the cost of their lives."

[ancientanimalart]

Bronze statuette of Athena flying her owl (via The Met)

Greek

ca. 460 BCE

“Owls of a type that can still be seen flitting about the Akropolis of Athens were associated with Athena, whose sanctuary was on top of that high rocky plateau. For centuries, the principle coinage of Athens showed the head of Athena on one side and an owl on the other. Here the goddess stands relaxed, ready to let the bird fly.”