The ''Basilinna'' ( grc-gre, Βασιλίννα) or ''Basilissa'' (), both titles meaning "queen", was a ceremonial position in the

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatur ...

ancient Athens Athens is one of the oldest named cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for perhaps 5,000 years. Situated in southern Europe, Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece in the first millennium BC, and its cultural achieve ...

, held by the wife of the ''

archon basileus ''Archon basileus'' ( grc, ἄρχων βασιλεύς ') was a Greek title, meaning "king magistrate": the term is derived from the words ''archon'' "magistrate" and ''basileus'' "king" or "sovereign". Most modern scholars claim that in Classical ...

''. The role dated to the time when Athens was ruled by kings, and their wives acted as priestesses ( Hiereiai). The duties of the basilinna are described in the pseudo-Demosthenic speech '' Against Neaira'', which is the main source of evidence about the position. The laws which set out the qualifications for a basilinna were inscribed on a stele which stood in the sanctuary of

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...

at Limnai. She was expected to be of Athenian birth and not previously married, though Noel Robertson argues that these requirements may have been ignored as inconvenient. The most important duty of the basilinna appears to have been taking part in a sacred ritual marriage to the god Dionysus as part of the Anthesteria. This ceremony seems to have taken place at the Boukoleion, near the

Prytaneion A ''prytaneion'' ( grc, Πρυτανεῖον, la, prytanēum) was seat of the '' prytaneis'' ( executive), and so the seat of government in ancient Greece. The term is used to describe any of a range of ancient structures where officials met (n ...

. Most scholars consider that this would have happened on the second day of the festival ("Choes"). However, Robertson suggests that it in fact happened on the first day of the festival ("Pithoigia"). Ludwig Deubner has proposed a full reconstruction of the ceremony, in which Dionysus was taken in a procession to the sanctuary at Limnai and married to the basilinna; both the basilinna and Dionysus were then taken in a wedding procession to the Boukoleion, where the marriage was consummated, with the archon basileus playing the part of Dionysus. The basilinna was also responsible for administering an oath to the gerarai, women priests apparently appointed by the archon basileus. This took place on the second day of the Anthesteria, and Robertson argues that it must have taken place after the wedding.

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