Classical Athens was a time of great superstition, participation in cult activities, and interesting ideas. From the Eleusinian mysteries to the Panathenaea, classical Athens flourished with festivals and cults. The cult of Dionysus in Athens was no exception. Dionysus was, among other things, the god of wine, theater and rebirth. Some people, scholars and non-scholars, believe that he is the last of the Olympian gods, although he is mentioned in Linear B with other Olympian deities. He received state worship and evidence of his cult and importance to Greek society and religion was prominent throughout classical Athens. Dionysus was significant to the classical Greek world through his many festivals and traditions. Through festivals such as the Anthesteria in the Eleusinian mysteries and his importance in the theater, in the form of the rural (minor) Dionysia, the city (major) Dionysia and the Lenae, make him one of the most important gods of classical Athens. One of the most central aspects of the god Dionysus was his importance in the theater. It had three distinct festivals dedicated to theatre: the Lenaia and the minor and major Dionysia. To understand these festivals, one must first understand the significance of theater and how it relates to Dionysus throughout Athenian history and in classical Athens. Many objects used in Athenian theater were, from the beginning, directly and religiously linked to Dionysus, such as costumes and masks. The plays were in a sense a form of worship of the god of the theatre, and the Athenians did this through dance and music, and also through things like miracle plays. Dionysus was sometimes even thought to be present during plays honoring him, a very popular concept... middle of paper..."The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 107 (1987): 58.Ibid .H.W. Parke, Festivals of the Athenians, (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1977), 125.Ibid., 126.Ibid., 127.Scholars have noted classical and Hellenistic differences in this procession, as the ephebes lead the procession in this last.H.W. Parke, Festivals of the Athenians, (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1977), 127.Ibid.Ibid.Ibid.Ibid., 127-128.Ibid., 128.Ibid., 129 .Ibid. , 128.Martin Revermann, “The Competence of Theater Audiences in Fifth- and Fourth-Century Athens,” The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 126 (2006): 99-124.H.W. Parke, Festivals of the Athenians, (Ithaca, New York : Cornell University Press, 1977), 128.Simon Goldhill, “The Great Dionysia and Civic Ideology,” The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 107 (1987): 60.Ibid.Ibid., 60-61.