The symposion,
the social event that was featured in many ancient literary philosophical works
such as those written by Plato, Plutarch, and Xenophon.
Many depictions of it are featured in ancient Greek pottery.
Its origins are obscure, but it is believed that it originated in a Greek city-state of southern Italy
around the late 7th century B.C.
The practice was soon adopted by the Athenian elite, followed by many other Greek city-states
while it also spread to the Etruscan and Roman societies.
But what exactly was the ancient Greek symposion? And what was it like participating in one?
The symposion was a drinking banquet, organized and held by wealthy men, predominantly of aristocratic descent.
The reasons one may had to host a symposium were various,
though it was mostly organized to celebrate either the return of a close relative, or a victory in an athletic, political, or theatrical competition.
The symposion took place in the 'andron', the mens' quarter of the house.
The size of the 'andron' was not very large so the amount of guests was usually restricted, numbering between 5 and 25 people
although the ideal number according to the ancient Greeks was nine.
The host of the house would invite the men himself.
Since the symposion was a private event, arriving uninvited was considered very rude,
with some minor exceptions like the close relatives of the host.
Sometimes, the host would pay famous people like Olympic winners to partake in the event
in order to make an impression on the rest of the guests.
When the guests arrived, they would enter the 'andron' and lay upon the 'klinai'
which were tall pillowed couches that could fit up to 2 people.
These would be placed in front of three walls of the room.
The men would lie on the couches with their upper body upright and their left arm placed on a pillow.
If young men were invited though, they were usually not allowed to sit,
as they were not yet recognized as full-fledged members of the elite society.
At first, the servants would bring tables in front of the guests,
upon which various appetizers and snacks such as chestnuts, beans, and various sweets were placed.
After the men finished eating, the servants would remove the plates and bring in a large krater.
At that point, the participants would elect a symposiarch, meaning the leader of the symposion.
Most of the times, the man that they elected was the host of the house.
The symposiarch was the one in charge of deciding the percentage of wine and water
because as we mentioned in previous videos, the Greeks preferred their wine diluted.
He also decided the number of kraters that the participants would consume.
If the symposion was held in order for the men to have a political meeting, they would drink up to three kraters of wine.
But if it was held in order for them to celebrate than they would usually consume more than that.
Due to the ancient Greek notion of moderation, many of the symposions did not exceed the three-krater limit.
But then again, there were also many that would largely surpass it,
with the symposiasts becoming so drunk that they had to be carried back home.
In a comedic play written by Euboulos, the god Dionysus describes the proper way of drinking wine.
After the symposiarch made his decisions, the participants would make libations to the god Dionysus
by calling out his name and pouring undiluted wine on the ground.
After the libations, the symposion would begin.
The servants would carry the diluted wine from the krater and fill the guests' 'kylixes',
which were vessels, particularly made for wine consumption.
They would continuously refill the 'kylixes' for the duration of the symposion, with the symposiarch often reminding the guests to drink.
If the symposion was not held for a political meeting or a philosophical discussion
the participants enjoyed themselves in various ways.
One of the most usual was to recite poetry.
The men would try to demonstrate their intellectual skills through a competition of poems.
They would also sing 'paeans' together, which were songs about athletic or military triumphs.
Many times, there were extra guests in the symposion, of which musicians were the most common.
The usual instruments that were played were the double-pipe flute,
the lyre, and a bass-type lyre called 'kithara', the ancestor of the modern guitar.
A small theater company or an acrobatic troupe could also be invited to perform in front of the symposiasts.
Although the women of the house were denied access to the mens' quarters, there were women present in the event
that either played music or performed acrobatic acts.
The ones that were most frequently present though were the 'heterai'.
The 'heterai' were high-class prostitutes that were not confined to the sexual intercourse,
they were also very educated and worked as artists and entertainers among other things.
Some of the 'heterai' were the ones that played music in the symposions.
They were generally the most independent women in the society and could, although rarely, engage in long term relationships
with men from the aristocracy.
The 'heterai' that took part in the symposions would sit, talk, drink, and sing with the men.
The symposion also included games,
the most famous of which was called 'kottabos'.
The competitor would hold a 'kylix' in his right hand and would throw wine to a target across the room.
The objective was to knock down a small disk called plastyx which balanced on the top of a bronze stand
in order to make it fall on a larger disk situated in the middle of the stand.
Not holding the 'kylix' right or spilling too much wine was a disqualifier.
The players would usually shout out the name of a person that they were in love with before throwing the wine,
believeing that if they managed to known down the plastyx, they would win their heart.
Sometimes, monetary bets were placed while playing 'kottabos'.
In conclusion, the symposion was an ancient aristocratic banquet
that included drinking, eating, talking, flirting, playing games, listening to music,
and other activities that the symposiasts found enjoyable.