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It is no secret that our ancestors constantly found pretexts for the celebration.
On each occasion and on each occasion they ended in riots, dances and wine races.
Whether they were celebrating the arrival of a baby, the arrival of a loved one, or a wedding, it was a fun-loving society.
We call them social or secular events today and for them The ancient Greeks it was literally bread and cheese.
A salt and pepper of life that did not even need a specific purpose. It was enough for some to party until morning.
Only these gatherings should not be confused with banquets. The banquet was not just another party, in the current sense of the word, nor was it a simple gathering of friends.
But a very important aspect of the daily life of the Greeks, which seemed a lot, is the truth with a party without tomorrow.
Because yes, men met in the houses to eat, drink and have fun, but there were others that took place at the famous banquets of the ancients …
The social significance of the banquet
Historians today attribute the importance of the social role of the symposium to the fact that it is mentioned in at least two important works of ancient Greek literature: the “Symposium” of Plato and Xenophon’s “Symposium”.
Famous banquets praise even great poems, like the elegies written by Theognis Megareus. Although the work is undoubtedly stolen by the Platonic text, another Socratic dialogue of the great philosopher.
Written between 385-370 BC. C., the “Symposium” is a study of love, as discussed by a group of symposium writers, including Socrates and Alcibiades.
The symposium was organized by the young tragic poet and his student Socrates, Agathon, and what worries the hostess that night is the nature of love.
Leaving aside the philosophical extensions of this stone of ancient Greek literature, the Socratic dialogue has provided many elements of the how and why of a symposium.
It also bears the stamp of Plato, a trusted source for modern historical research, so that we can understand the place and role of the symposium for the society that spawned it.
The symposium was, therefore, a social institution for the Athens of the classical period. Without formal institutionalization, of course, it functioned as an informal philosophical conference. With wine, dance and carnal pleasures, always …
What was happening at a banquet?
Only adult citizens from the upper strata of society participated in the symposium. The only women who could participate were partners, this special type of prostitute that flourished in ancient Greece, who in addition to physical beauty, was also distinguished by her spirituality.
These elegant prostitutes with scholarship and education offered music and dance services when there was demand. The virtuous Athenians did not participate in banquets.
The women we see in banquet scenes decorating clay pots are exclusively members, who had the role of entertainer. With a talent for music and dance, they could make forceful interventions in men’s conversations.
Sometimes, as we are told, they also functioned as sexual partners for the diners. The pleasure they offered was multifaceted.
The fact that only men participated is partly explained by the type of discussions that took place. That is, either the conversation was purely philosophical, therefore incomprehensible to the ears of the Athenian housewife, or it was purely “masculine”, that is, inappropriate for husband.
Every guest at a banquet participated equally in the conversation. That is why a banquet generally included 7 to 15 men. They met in a private home, after an explicit invitation, and they all had the same place.
That is why the benches where the symposiums are located, always leaning on the left elbow, were placed in a circle, so that no one is the center of attention.
The archaeological excavation has uncovered rooms of houses specially designed for banquets. We even have performances with aristocratic scenes and ornate sofas, where men drink wine, talk, joke. and play kottavo, enjoying music and reciting poems.
The symposium, as the term says (συν + πίνειν), was oriented towards the consumption of wine and discussion during the night. Food was optional. The host could serve food, but that was not what he wanted.
According to sources, diners sometimes brought their own food if they were informed that dinner would not be served. Even if food was offered, it was not a snack, but a simple meal.
The low tables next to the sofas were cleaned immediately after the end, so that the company could move on to the purpose of the evening: wine tasting.
Homer assures that sometimes, in less aristocratic banquets, the participants contributed financially or with food. The poet calls them “Fundraisers”, then they called them “contributions”.
It is known that the Greeks did not take a sip of their food. First they filled their stomachs and then they went on to drink wine. Of course, this does not mean that they drank it in moderation. came his. We know that they accompanied it with snacks, the “tragimata”, roasted chestnuts, honey sweets, beans, things like that.
The banquet used to start in the evening, although it took the host days to prepare. He had to choose the wine, book musicians, acrobats and partners, and arrange every detail.
No one left completely sober
The banquet itself, that is, the wine tasting, that is, began with a pound, usually at Dionysus. The leader of the symposium, the master of ceremonies we would say of the meeting, was in charge of an equally important role: not to get the attendees drunk.
Not all together at least! Due to a room full of drunk men, you never knew where it would end. And whatever happened would bring bad news to the host. On the other hand, of course, it was also not good for someone to leave completely sober. Something went wrong.
The symposium had its ritual and the Athenians They did their best to maintain a fragile balance. There was even a golden rule about how well a banquet could go.
As the Athenian poet of classical times, Evoulos, assures, a good host prepared three craters for each guest: the first for health, the second for love and pleasure, and the third for sleep.
After the third, he tells us, the wise men returned home. The fourth crater was no longer the responsibility of the host. It belonged to bad behavior. The fifth was for the voices.
The sixth for insults and rudeness. The seventh for fights. The eighth for breaking furniture. The ninth for melancholy. And the tenth belonged entirely to madness.
The good banquet leader determined early on how much wine would be served, but also its alcohol content. The Greeks drank their watered wine. The Athenians used to call “barbarians” those who drank pure wine. They mixed wine and water in the crater, a large container made especially for this purpose.
The correct ratio of wine to water varied, however the most cautious dilution was given by the 1: 3 ratio. Watered wine may seem small today, but a crater could hold up to 60 liters of wine.
In fact, they gave much concern to the crater of the banquet. Athenian citizens had potters make entire rows of specially designed vases for use at the banquet.
In addition to the crater, the wine was transported to the room and inside an amphora. The wealthiest had this pottery decorated with elaborate representations. the Water they brought it to a jug. The servant dipped the wine glass into the crater with the watered down wine and filled the glasses of the attendants.
The specially designed wine glass was the goblet, a shallow bowl with two horizontal handles so that the half-stretched companion could hold it from their couch.
It was also the responsibility of the emcee that everyone drank at the same rate, making sure that no one got drunk faster than their neighbor.
The banquet certainly ended in drunkenness, but that was not his goal. They did not meet to get drunk, but to communicate, socialize, philosophize.
And if they do eventually turn into a “mosquito”, this was definitely a by-product of the night. After all, you had to arrive slowly, always in a civilized way.
Wine and philosophy
The banquet was not a gathering of friends. But a meeting of friends on purpose. The wine broke the resistance, so the citizens came closer, forging even stronger ties. Ή creating new ones.
As we know, no one sat down to drink and just listen to others. Even when the others were Socrates. Each symposium had to participate and even participate equally.
Just as you drank the same amount of wine as the others, you spoke equally. Each in turn. Have a corresponding time to develop your thinking. Even if you were just telling a song or a story. Or an enigma.
At the most successful banquets, like the Platonic one, everyone talks about the same topic. Plato tells us that that night the company was occupied by love. Other times it was politics.
Xenophon assures that the banquet was the best way to make political alliances. Or marry your son well. Or find a partner for your business.
The banquet didn’t even have to be lavish and expensive. THE aristocracy He drank from gold goblets, yet it didn’t matter whether the cup was gold or clay. The purpose was to drink and philosophize with friends.
This is how the ancient Greeks saw fun, drinking wine with company and conversation. A conversation that could get you out of the banquet even as a better person. If you had invited Socrates, sure.
But companionship always had the first word. It is known that the Athenians saw with half an eye those who bit them alone …
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