抖阴旅行射

A symposium is a ritualized drinking event in ancient Greece. Its name, "symposium," literally refers to a "drinking together," a hint for听the defining activity shared by participants of the symposium: the consumption of wine. Symposia are sometimes defined as banquets, but the official symposium usually occured after the consumption of food and is best understood as a drinking party (1).听Our evidence for symposia comes from illustrations on various types of Greek vases,听archaeological remains of houses and of vessels used during symposia, and discussions and descriptions in ancient texts, such as听听补苍诲 , both written around 360 B.C.E.听

听were hosted by aristocratic men for their peers. They were often held in private houses听in a purpose-built room called the andron. The andron was usually located close to the front entrance of a house to limit visitors' access to the more private parts of the house.听In the andron, participants of the symposium, called symposiasts, would 听that were arranged around the borders of the room. Klinai were long and often elaborately decorated. Symposiasts drank from specialized drinking cups, which could be made from terracotta or more expensive metals, such as bronze, silver, and gold. Entertainment was provided by musicians, acrobats, and other performers, while symposiasts often engaged in activities including reciting poetry, telling bawdy jokes, and having sex.听

Symposia were not merely relaxed social gatherings; they also functioned as听"a place for the ostentatious display not just of gilded ceilings or听inlaid floors, Ionian couches, exotic entertainment, or luxury vases, but also of the cultural quality of host and guests" (2). In other words, the symposium was an opportunity for aristocratic men to display their wealth and sophistication. One way that hosts could show off their wealth was in the vessels provided. Ceramic sympotic vessels, including kylikes and kantharoi (cups), kraters (wine-mixing vessels), and oinochoe (wine jugs), were often among the most elaborately decorated of听vessels and they could be decorated with scenes of symposia themselves, or with scenes from mythology听or daily life. The decorations on vases could add humor to the symposium with inside jokes and visual puns or even act as conversation pieces, spurring discussions of the myths depicted.听

The 抖阴旅行射 Art Museum has several vessels associated with the symposium in its collection. Wine was drunk from a variety of cup shapes, including a deep and听high-handled kantharos听or the wide and shallow-bowled kylix. In the Hellenistic period, it could be drunk from mould-made bowls.听Wine could be poured from jugs like the pelike.

The wine drunk at symposia was not like the wine we drink today. It was not, that is, left undiluted, but was mixed with water in precise proportions in a vessel called a krater. The mixing of water and wine ensured that symposiasts maintained composure and self-control, traits that were highly valued in ancient Greek society, at least according to most of our literature on the symposium.听The Greeks seemed to believe听that only barbarians -- and, of course, anyone who was not Greek was considered a barbarian -- drank unmixed wine (3). Despite the importance of self-control, however, many vases decorated with scenes of the symposium depict men engaged in activities that may be considered somewhat less than dignified. The听, for example, shows a man vomiting into a basin while a slave holds his head. On the exterior of听 in Malibu, CA, a parade of revellers, called komasts,听are shown wearing women's clothing as they dance in a drunken procession called a听komos.听

If we are to believe the bawdy scenes shown on many vases, various forms of sexual activity were also popular at symposia. Men in ancient Greece engaged in 听补苍诲 sex acts were frequently听depicted on Greek vases. Because "respectable" women were not allowed to attend symposia, women who are shown attending these parties are usually identified as听, who听"provided sex and music, and no doubt conversation" (4). Hetairai were differentiated from pornai, translated as "prostitutes," who were often of a lower class of slave. Hetairai and pornai on Greek vases are often depicted nude; when shown dressed, however, the association of objects like money pouches could signal their deviation from respectability.

The floor of a symposium was usually waterproofed, probably because of a popular听. To play this game, symposiasts would swirl听the dregs of wine in the bottoms of their cups and then fling these remnants either onto the floor, attempting to form the first letter of their beloved's name, or at a specific target in the center of the room. One variation of this game involves flinging the wine at small saucers听floating in a basin of water in order to sink them (5). In yet another version, a disk is balanced atop a pole听补苍诲 kottabos players would attempt to knock it down (6).听

Unlike many depictions on vases, ancient literature听such as the treatises by Plato听补苍诲听Xenophon听discuss the more dignified aspects of the symposium. Each author implies that the symposium was an elegant, intellectual gathering where men could eat and drink (in moderation, of course), recite poetry, and hold philosophical听discussions. In fact, the men in consciously decide not to make the evening "a tipsy affair." Likewise, those in 听heed this admonition spoken by听Socrates: "If we pour ourselves immense draughts, it will be no long time before both our bodies and our minds reel, and we shall not be able even to draw breath, much less to speak sensibly."

While each of the two accounts reinforce the idea that the symposium was an event exclusively for men, they do not discuss the presence of hetairai, often described as听the symposium's only female attendants. In fact, in听, Socrates suggests that the host send听the听flute-girl听away听so that they may hold their intellectual conversations听regarding听love,听medicine,听music, and other topics听without the distraction of frivolous music. Similarly, in , the host听Callias invites Socrates听along with other men "whose hearts have undergone philosophy's purification"听to his symposium, where they discuss topics such as the importance of nobility of soul and the most valuable types of knowledge听(though, in this dialogue, the flute-girl and jester are allowed to stay).

From the evidence given in the texts as well as the images on vases, it is evident that the Greeks held many competing and complementary听views regarding . While vases often show the bawdier aspects, such as听drunkenness听补苍诲听sexuality, ancient texts illustrate a sense of dignity, intelligence, and moderation, which are much more in line with what we believe were valued traits for aristocratic men听in ancient Greece.

This essay was written to accompany a听collection of Greek artifacts at the 抖阴旅行射 Art Museum.听

Footnotes

1. Francois 尝颈蝉蝉补谤补驳耻别,听The Aesthetics of the Greek Banquet: Images of Wine and Ritual,听translated by听Andrew Szegedy-Maszak (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1990): 7.
2. William J. Slater, "Introduction," in ed. William J. Slater,听Dining in a Classical Context听(Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1991): 1-5.
3. Lissarague, The Aesthetics of the Greek Banquet:听7. In this passage, Lissarague alludes to the expression used by the Greeks to indicated a person who drinks heavily and to the point of inebriation: "to drink like a Scythian." He notes that the origin of this phrase stems from the story of King Kleomenes of Sparta, who "died a madman from having drunk too much pure wine in the company of Scythian envoys."
4. Martin Robertson,听The Art of Vase-Painting in Classical Athens听(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992): 27.
5. 尝颈蝉蝉补谤补驳耻别,听The Aesthetics of the Greek Banquet:听81.
6. 尝颈蝉蝉补谤补驳耻别,听The Aesthetics of the Greek Banquet: 81.