Chalkeia
χαλκεῖα
Chalkeia (χαλκεῖα), a very ancient festival celebrated at Athens, which was originally of an agrarian character; but afterwards it assumed a different type. At first it was solemnised in honour of Athena, surnamed Ergane, and by the whole people of Athens, whence it was called Ἀθήναια or Πάνδημος. (Suidas, s. v.; Etym. M.; Eustath. ad Il. ii. p. 284, 36.) At a later period, however, it was celebrated only by artisans, especially smiths, and in honour of Hephaestus, whence its name was changed into Χαλκεῖα. (Pollux, 7.105.) It was kept on the 30th day of the month of Pyanepsion, the day after the Apaturia. (Suidas, Harpocrat., Eustath. l.c.) Menander had written a comedy called Χαλκεῖα, a fragment of which is preserved in Athen. 11.502. (Comp. Weicker, Die, Aeschyl. Trilog. p. 290; A. Mommsen, Heortologie, p. 311, 40.)
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.