Plynteria

Matthew P Dillon

doi:10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah17340

Plynteria

Matthew P Dillon

Classics & Ancient History

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

Abstract

Throughout the Greek world, women had charge of washing and dressing the statues of goddesses. Callimachus in his 'Fifth Hymn' describes details of the Argive women preparing to take Athena's statue to the river to bathe it. Best known is the specific Plynteria ("washing") rite at Athens in late summer (the twenty-fifth of the month Thargelion), when the ancient wooden statue of Athena on the acropolis was undressed, washed, and given a fresh, expensive, robe by women of the Praxiergidai genos ("clan"). The temples were closed for the day; no meetings of the public assembly took place. It was considered unlucky when Alkibiades arrived in Athens in 407 BCE on the Plynteria.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Encyclopedia of Ancient History
Editors	Roger S Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B Champion, Andrew Erskine, Sabine R Huebner
Place of Publication	Chichester, United Kingdom
Publisher	Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Pages	5368-5368
Volume	X. Pl-Ro
Edition	1
ISBN (Print)	9781405179355, 9781444338386
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah17340
Publication status	Published - 2013

Keywords

Classical Greek and Roman History

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10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah17340

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/14224

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SN - 9781444338386

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EP - 5368

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A2 - Erskine, Andrew

A2 - R Huebner, Sabine

PB - Blackwell Publishing Ltd

CY - Chichester, United Kingdom

ER -

Plynteria

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