The Ancient Greek Celebrations of Mid-August

The Synoikia was an ancient Greek festival held in Athens between August 15 and 16 to celebrate the unification of Attica. The festival was also known as the Thesean Synoikismos and the Feast of Union. During the Synoikia, the Athenians would also celebrate their mythological founder Theseus and the patron deity of the city, the goddess Athena.

The celebration was held during the month of Hekatombeion, which corresponds to July and August on the modern calendar. The festival was held every second year.

The Synoikia: The Ancient Greek Festival of Athens

The festival’s name originates from the term “synoecism” (or synoikismos in Greek: συνοικισμός), denoting the amalgamation of smaller communities into a larger unified entity.

According to ancient Athenian lore, two synoecisms were recounted: the initial founding of twelve cities in Attica by King Cecrops, followed by the consolidation of these twelve cities into a singular Athenian state by the legendary King Theseus, with its focal point in Athens. The Synoikia festival commemorated the accomplishment of King Theseus in bringing about this union.

During the festival, offerings of ewes and bullocks were presented in sacrifice to Zeus Phratrios, symbolizing brotherhood and unity. The event’s coordination and financial support were undertaken by the phylobasileis, delegates representing the initial four Athenian tribes, which had diminished in significance following the reforms of Cleisthenes in 508 BC.

Although the Athenians observed this festival, there is limited evidence to suggest that the Synoikia was embraced by the demes outside Athens within Attica. Notably, the Marathonian and Erchian calendrical inscriptions do not make mention of this festival.

Evidence

Some insight into the Synoikia emerges from a fragment of the fifth-century code outlining sacrificial regulations, discovered within the Agora of Athens. This fragment notes a festival held biennially at the outset of the calendar, involving sacrifices conducted on the 15th and 16th days of Hecatombaion.

While the inscription does not explicitly name it as the Synoikia, this evidently corresponds to the celebration. Thucydides did not make any mention of a two-year cycle for this event, which might naturally lead one to expect an annual commemoration of a historical occurrence.

However, the section of the code detailing the yearly Hecatombaion festivals has been lost, presumably containing references to the annual Synoikia on the 16th day. It is plausible to envision the festivity taking place annually on this single day, with the biennial observance encompassing a more expansive form spanning the 15th and 16th days.

The festival grows in grandeur

Following the Athenian triumph over the Persians in the First Greco-Persian War and the subsequent reconstruction and repopulation of the city-state, the Synoikia festival expanded into even greater prominence.

The reverence and devotion towards Athena and Theseus, revered as the city’s “divine and heroic guardians,” intensified significantly. The intertwining of these two figures led to a fusion of rituals and practices, previously ascribed solely to one or the other.

Notably, in 374 BC, during a temporary truce amid the Boeotian War, the Athenians introduced an additional “non-bloodshed” offering to Eirene, the goddess of peace, as an act of homage.