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The symposium in ancient Greek society | |
The aristocratic males in ancient Greece often participated in banquets called symposia, which are illustrated quite frequently on various types of Greek vases and discussed in ancient texts. Two of these texts are written by Plato and Xenophon, and both are titled the Symposium . These events usually were held in a room called the andron, which was located in the men's quarters of a house. The symposiasts would recline, propped up on one elbow, on long and often elaborately decorated couches called klinai easily with all the others.
It is important to note that symposia were not merely relaxed social gatherings; they also functioned as "a place for the ostentatious display not just of gilded ceilings or inlaid floors, Ionian couches , exotic entertainment, or luxury vases, but also of the cultural quality of host and guests" (1). In other words, the symposium was an opportunity for aristocratic men to display their wealth and sophistication.
The symposium is often defined as a banquet, though this is not entirely accurate due to the fact that symposia generally were held after the meal itself (2); therefore, the symposium may be described more aptly as a drinking party. In fact, the commonest and most well-known activity to occur at a symposium was the consumption of wine. However, this beverage of choice was not drunk as we drink it today, that is, in its undiluted form; rather, it was mixed with water in precise proportions in a vessel called a krater. This was done to ensure that the men maintained composure and self-control--traits which were highly valued in ancient Greek society--rather than allowing themselves to become inebriated. The Greeks believed 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 in this society, many vases decorated with scenes of the symposium depict men engaged in activities which may be considered less than dignified. For instance, the interior of a cup in Berlin depicts a man vomiting into a basin while a slave holds his head. On a kylix in Malibu, a parade of revellers are shown wearing women's clothing, dancing in a drunken procession called a komos. A krater in Cleveland and a cup in New Haven show similar scenes.
Various forms of sexual activity were also popular at symposia, if we are to believe the images shown on many vases. Unmarried men in ancient Greece engaged in homosexual acts, a practice based in their appreciation for male beauty, though of course the men engaged in heterosexual activity as well. Because "respectable" women were not allowed to attend symposia, the only women in attendance at these events were prostitutes (hetairai), who "provided sex and music, and no doubt conversation" (4). Hetairai usually (but not always) are shown nude, which along with the depiction of object such as money pouches helps to make them distinguishable from other women depicted on Greek vases.
During a symposium, participants also played a type of drinking game called kottabos. To play this game, one would swirl the last dregs of his wine in the bottom of his cup, then fling these remnants either on the floor attempting to form the first letter of his beloved's name, or at a specific target. One variation of this game involves flinging the wine at small "saucers" floating in a basin of water in order to sink them (5). In another version, a disk is balanced atop a pole, and the kottabos players attempt to knock it down (6). It is because of these types of games that the floor of the andron was usually waterproof. Click here [link to Megan's essay on drinking games] for more information on drinking games.
Among these rowdier activities, ancient sources such as Plato and Xenophon discuss the more dignified aspects of the symposium. Each of the two authors imply that the symposium was an elegant, intellectual gathering where men could eat and drink (in moderation, of course), quote poetry, and hold philosophical discussions. In fact, the men in Plato's Symposium consciously decide not to make the evening "a tipsy affair" (7). Likewise, those in Xenophon's dialogue heed this admonition spoken by 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" (8).
While each of the two accounts reinforce the idea that the symposium was a man's event, they fail to mention in any detail the presence of hetairai, the symposium's only female attendants. In fact in Plato's dialogue, the host sends the flute-girl away (9) so that they may hold their discussion regarding love, medicine, music , and other intellectual topics, without the distraction of frivolous music. Similarly, Xenophon's account relates that Callias invites Socrates, along with other men "whose hearts have undergone philosophy's purification" (10) to his symposium where they discuss topics such as the importance of "nobility of soul" (11) and the most valuable types of knowledge (12) (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 different views regarding the nature of the symposium. While the vases show the more "human" aspects such as drunkenness and sexuality, the texts illustrate a sense of dignity, intelligence, and moderation, which are much more in line with what we believe were valued traits in aristocratic males in ancient Greece.
Author: Jessika Akmenkalns
(1) William J. Slater, 1991. "Introduction," ed. William J. Slater, Dining in a Classical Context (Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press 1991): 1-5.
(2) Francois Lissarague, The Aesthetics of the Greek Banquet: Images of Wine and Ritual , tr. Andrew Szegedy-Maszak (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press 1990): 7.
(3) ibid, 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, The art of vase-painting in classical Athens (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1992): 27.
(5) Lissarague, The Aesthetics of the Greek Banquet , 81.
