The older standard account of Greek calendars and months, Samuel 1972, is still useful, but Triimpy 1997 is more up to date. Mikalson 1975 is good on the dates of Athenian festivals, though now dated. For Athenian festivals, the older standard works in German, Mommsen 1898 and Deubner 1932, contain comprehensive (but epigraphically outdated) collections of the evidence in Greek, but are antique in approach; so also Pfuhl 1900, on Athenian processions. In English, Parke 1977 is largely derivative, Simon 1983 useful on archaeological evidence but thin. Parker 2005, a superb study, is now the standard work on Athenian festivals. For particular Athenian festivals see the excellent Pickard-Cambridge 1968, which only deals with festivals of Dionysus; Brumfield 1981 on festivals of Demeter; andR. Hamilton 1992 on Anthesteria (more detailed than the treatment in Parker 2005, but less convincing). For non-Athenian festivals Nilsson 1906 is still the standard comprehensive treatment, but badly needs replacement. Those who do not read German can consult Farnell 1896-1909, which is not much older than Nilsson but rather less incisive. The discussions of various festivals in Harrison 1922 and 1927 are dated in approach and sometimes unreliable on detail, but much more stimulating than Farnell. There are useful summary accounts of various non-Athenian festivals (as well as of some Athenian) in Dillon 1997 and 2002. The studies of festivals in Burkert 1979,1983, and 1985 (and in various articles) are learned, brilliant, and exciting, which is all the more reason to exercise the caution which my criticism in this chapter of some of his views is meant to recommend. N. Robertson’s many studies of festivals (e. g. 1983,1984,1985,1992,1993,1996) rarely command assent but are learned and often supply important correctives. Regional studies of Greek cult are now often the best starting-point for study of non-Athenian festivals: Willetts 1962 for Crete, Schachter 1981-94 for Boeotia, Graf 1985 for northern Ionia, Jost 1985 for Arcadia. Pettersson 1992 is less dated on the Spartan festivals of Apollo than Wide 1893, and useful for archaeological evidence. Schachter 2000 on the Theban Daphnephoria and Humphreys 2004:223-75 on Anthesteria are good studies of the development of festivals over time, a tricky subject because of the scantiness of our evidence from any one period.
World History
