About the Rite and Ritual in Ancient Athens Walk in Athens
In this three-hour walk of the Acropolis, designed for families, we’ll focus on the use of rites and rituals in ancient Greece. What was a sacrifice? How was it done? Why was it done? We’ll linger in key places along the hill of the Acropolis that were critical to religious ceremonies in ancient Athens and explore the important role that rituals served at that time. As a child-focused walk, it will be held as an interactive seminar with each family member acting out each part!
We begin with a visit to the theater of Dionysus on the south slope of the Acropolis. Festivals of ancient drama took place here, and this is where the famous tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides had their plays performed. We'll look at how Greek drama was intrinsically connected with the cult of the god Dionysus or Bacchus. Thus we will talk not only about the annual festivals, but also about the actual rites of Bacchus, the maenads and the ecstasy the worshippers were aiming at reaching.
We will then
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In this three-hour walk of the Acropolis, designed for families, we’ll focus on the use of rites and rituals in ancient Greece. What was a sacrifice? How was it done? Why was it done? We’ll linger in key places along the hill of the Acropolis that were critical to religious ceremonies in ancient Athens and explore the important role that rituals served at that time. As a child-focused walk, it will be held as an interactive seminar with each family member acting out each part!
We begin with a visit to the theater of Dionysus on the south slope of the Acropolis. Festivals of ancient drama took place here, and this is where the famous tragedians Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides had their plays performed. We'll look at how Greek drama was intrinsically connected with the cult of the god Dionysus or Bacchus. Thus we will talk not only about the annual festivals, but also about the actual rites of Bacchus, the maenads and the ecstasy the worshippers were aiming at reaching.
We will then walk up the hill of the Acropolis, where we will discuss myths and rites associated with the gods worshipped there, such as the contest between Athena and Poseidon over the tutelage of Athens. We will then walk back down the hill and over to its northwestern side, where we will visit the Agora. We will walk along the Panathenaic Way and discuss the Panathenaic Festival, a festival in honor of Athena, during which Athenian maidens would carry a robe to the goddess and place it on her cult statue in the Erechtheion.
Using the theme of rites and rituals to guide us, this walk introduces children and their parents to the Acropolis and ancient Athenian society.
