Symposium
Symposium originally referred to a drinking party (the Greek verb
sympotein means "to drink together") but has since come to refer to any
academic conference, whether or not
drinking takes place. The sympotic elegies of
Theognis of Megara, two
Socratic dialogues, Plato's
Symposium and Xenophon's
Symposium all describe symposia in the original sense.
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Symposium scene
Fresco from the Tomb of the Diver. 475 BCE. Paestum Museum, Italy. |
Greek symposia were a key Hellenic social institution. They were a forum for men to debate, plot, boast, or simply to party. They were frequently held to celebrate the introduction of youths into aristocratic society, much like
debutante balls today. A youth would attend as the companion and beloved of an adult with whom he was involved in a
pederastic relationship. Symposia were also held by aristocrats to celebrate other special occasions, such as victories in athletic and poetic contests.
Symposia were usually held in the men's quarters of the household. Singly or in pairs, the men would recline on
couches arrayed against the walls of the room. Food, wine (usually mixed with water and served by nude young men), and entertainment was provided, and depending on the occasion could include games, songs, flute-girls, slaves performing various acts, and hired entertainments. A symposium would be overseen by a
symposiarch who would decide how strong or diluted the wine for the evening would be, depending on whether serious discussions or merely sensual indulgence were in the offing. Certain formalities were observed, most important among which were the
libations by means of which the gods were propitiated.
One of the more popular games at symposia was
kottabos, in which drinkers swished the dregs of their wine in their
kylixes (platter-like stemmed drinking vessels) and flung them at a target. Also popular at symposia were
skolia, drinking songs of a patriotic or bawdy nature, which were also performed in a competitive manner with one symposiast reciting the first part of a song and another
expected to finish it.
What are called flute-girls today were actually prostitutes or
courtesans who played the
aulos, a Greek woodwind instrument most similar to an
oboe, hired to play for and consort with the symposiasts while they drank and conversed.
Symposiasts could also compete in rhetorical contests, for which reason the term symposium has come to refer to any event where multiple speeches are made.
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Ancient Greek art depicting symposium scenes
