Symposium scene
Fresco from the Tomb of the Diver. Fresco (plural either frescos or frescoes) is any of several related Painting types done on Plaster on walls or The Tomb of the Diver is an important archaeological monument found by the Italian Archaeologist Mario Napoli, on 3 June 1968 during his excavations of a small 475 BC. Paestum National Museum, Italy. Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy.

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. An academic conference is a conference for Researchers (not always Academics to present and Discuss their work Drinking is the act of consuming a liquid through the mouth Water, for example is required for many of life's physiological processes and excess or decreased water intake The sympotic elegies of Theognis of Megara and two Socratic dialogues, Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium all describe symposia in the original sense. Theognis of Megara (fl 6th century BC was an ancient Greek Poet. Socratic dialogue ( Greek Σωκρατικός λόγος or Σωκρατικός διάλογος) is a genre of prose literary works developed in The Symposium is a philosophical dialogue written by Plato sometime after 385 BC Xenophon (Ancient Greek, Modern Greek "Ξενοφών" "Ξενοφώντας" ca Xenophon 's Symposium (Συμπόσιον records the discussion of Socrates and company at a dinner given by Callias for his

Symposium as a social activity in antiquity

The Greek symposium was a key Hellenic social institution, one that was also adopted by the Etruscans. Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy It was a forum for men to debate, plot, boast, or simply to party with others. They were frequently held to celebrate the introduction of youths into aristocratic society, much like debutante balls today. A debutante ( deb or presentation ball (from the French débutante, "female beginner" is a young lady from an aristocratic or Youth would attend as the companion and eromenos of an adult with whom he was involved in a pederastic relationship. In the pederastic tradition of Classical Athens, the eromenos ( Greek ἐρώμενος pl Greek Pederasty, as idealised by the Greeks from archaic times onward was a relationship and bond between an adolescent boy and an adult man outside Symposia were also held by aristocrats to celebrate other special occasions, such as victories in athletic and poetic contests.

Symposiast in typical singing pose, accompanied by a flutist playing the aulos. The text reads "The boy is beautiful. " Vth c. red-figure kylix by the Colmar painter

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 three walls of the room away from the door. A triclinium (plural triclinia) is a formal dining room in a Roman building Free boys who participated did not recline but sat. ^[1] Food was served, together with wine. The latter, usually mixed with water in varying proportions, was drawn from the krater, a large jar designed to be carried by two men, and served by nude servant boys from pitchers. For the Landform crater see Crater. A krater (in Greek: κρατήρ kratēr, from the Verb κεράννυμι An oenochoe, also spelled oinochoe, (Gr Οινοχόη is a Wine jug and a key form of Greek pottery. 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. A libation (spondee in Greek) is a Ritual pouring of a drink as an offering to a god.

In keeping with Greek notions of self-restraint and propriety, the symposiarch would prevent matters from getting out of hand. The playwright Euboulos, in a surviving fragment of a lost play has the god Dionysos describe proper and improper drinking:

For sensible men I prepare only three kraters: one for health (which they drink first), the second for love and pleasure, and the third for sleep. In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman After the third one is drained, wise men go home. The fourth krater is not mine any more - it belongs to bad behaviour; the fifth is for shouting; the sixth is for rudeness and insults; the seventh is for fights; the eighth is for breaking the furniture; the ninth is for depression; the tenth is for madness and unconsciousness.

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. Kottabos, Anglice cottabus ( Greek κότταβος was a game of skill popular for a long time at ancient Greek and Etruscan A kylix (or cylix, plural kylixes or kylikes) is a type of Wine -drinking cup with a broad relatively shallow body raised on a Another feature of the 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. Skolion (pl skolia) also scolion (pl scolia) were songs sung by invited guests at banquets in Ancient Greece.

Etruscan symposium scene

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. For the elite Ancient Macedonian cavalry ( hetairoi, "companions" see Companion cavalry. The aulos ( Greek αυλός, plural αυλοί, auloi or tibia ( Latin) was an ancient Greek musical instrument "Hautbois" redirects here for the strawberry variety see Hautbois strawberry. When string instruments were played, the barbiton was the traditional instrument. The barbiton, or barbitos ( Gr: βάρβιτον or βάρβιτος Lat ^[2]

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.

As with many other Greek customs, the framework of the symposium was adopted by the Romans under the name of comissatio. These revels also involved the drinking of assigned quantities of wine, and the oversight of a master of the ceremonies appointed for the occasion from among the guests.

Notes

External links

• Ancient Greek art depicting symposium scenes