---
title: Symposium: The Drinking Party of Ancient Greece
author: Mark Cartwright
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/Symposium/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2025-04-18
---
# Symposium: The Drinking Party of Ancient Greece
_Authored by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/)_
The symposium (or symposion) was an important part of ancient [Greek culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Greek_Culture/) from the 7th century BCE and was a party held in a private home where [Greek](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/greek/) males gathered to drink, eat and sing together. Various topics were also discussed such as [philosophy](https://www.worldhistory.org/philosophy/), politics, poetry and the issues of the day. The symposium is widely referenced in [Greek literature](https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Literature/), [theatre](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/theatre/) and the visual arts, particularly [pottery](https://www.worldhistory.org/pottery/) decoration.
The symposium was open only to Greek males and the only [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/) permitted were the *hetairai* - high class prostitutes trained in [music](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Music/) (especially the *[aulos](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aulos/)* or flute), dance, gymnastics and high [culture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/culture/). The activity was primarily enjoyed by the highest class of Greek society, the *aristoi*. As such, symposia helped to reinforce the shared status and cultural bond held between the elite of the *[polis](https://www.worldhistory.org/Polis/)* or [city-state](https://www.worldhistory.org/Polis/).
The participants or symposiasts gathered in the private home of one of the group and reclined on couches in a specially devoted room - the *andrōn*. The cushioned couches numbered between seven and eleven and were arranged around the walls of the room so that all participants could see each other, sometimes with the evening's president being chosen by lot. It seems that the formality of the occasion varied, some were formal philosophical discussions whilst other symposia seem to have been nothing more than drinking-bouts.
After eating and drinking and the pouring of libations, the guests might play games, listen to and perform music (especially the [lyre](https://www.worldhistory.org/Lyre/)), tell each other stories, give each other advice on daily problems, discuss politics and enjoy each other's company. Poetry recital was a common element, particularly works by the lyric poets Alkaios, Anakreon, Archilochos and Theognis. Guests were also encouraged to show off their own poetic and intellectual skills with off the cuff recitals and repartee. Drinking continued throughout the evening, usually through the passing around of a shared cup or *kylix*. Singing of songs was also popular, for example, the *skolia* - songs performed by each symposiast in succession (going around the room in the customary anti-clockwise direction) - and *silloi* - satirical and comic songs. On occasion, the group of revellers (*komos*) even went out into the streets to continue their singing and dancing, no doubt to the annoyance of the neighbours.
[  Symposiast & Hetaira Sebastià Giralt (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/1035/symposiast--hetaira/ "Symposiast & Hetaira")The symposium was a popular setting in Greek [literature](https://www.worldhistory.org/literature/) and theatre. [Aristophanes](https://www.worldhistory.org/Aristophanes/)' plays the *Wasps* and *[Lysistrata](https://www.worldhistory.org/Lysistrata/)* both include symposia scenes. [Plato](https://www.worldhistory.org/plato/) devoted a whole dialogue to the practice in his *Symposium* which is set in 416 BCE. Here the historical characters of [Socrates](https://www.worldhistory.org/socrates/), Aristophanes, Agathon and [Alcibiades](https://www.worldhistory.org/Alcibiades/), amongst others, meet to celebrate the release of Agathon's successful play and end up discussing the meaning of love, doing so until dawn. Socrates concludes that the highest form of love is the love of true beauty, that is the ideal essence of beauty, the unchanging and perfect Form of beauty. We also learn something of the procedures of a symposium; we are told the characters 'follow the whole ritual'. First, Socrates dresses up for the occasion and puts on a pair of fancy sandals which is indicative of the social importance of a symposium. In the home of Agathon, the group reclines on couches and first dines. Then they pour a libation to the gods, then sing a hymn and finally settle down to drinking wine, launching into a juicy topic of discussion.
In addition to *Symposium*, Plato also endorses the benefits of the symposium as an activity in his *Laws* as a means to test and promote virtue in citizens. [Xenophon](https://www.worldhistory.org/xenophon/) wrote a Socratic dialogue (set in 421 BCE) also titled *Symposium* in which Socrates and others discuss the object of their greatest pride.
On Greek red and [black-figure pottery](https://www.worldhistory.org/Black_Figure_Pottery/), scenes from symposia were very popular, especially on the *kylix* or stemmed cup. These were an obvious choice as they were used for drinking wine at symposia. Their purposely designed stemmed foot and horizontal handles meant that they could be easily lifted from the floor when reclining on a couch.
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored definition has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- [Anonymous. *The Oxford Handbook of Hellenic Studies.* Oxford University Press, USA, 2009.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0199286140/)
- [Burn, A.R. *The Penguin History of Greece.* Penguin Books, 1966.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0140137513/)
- [Plato. *Plato.* Hackett Publishing Co., 1997.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0872203492/)
## About the Author
Mark is WHE’s Publishing Director and has an MA in Political Philosophy (University of York). He is a full-time researcher, writer, historian and editor. Special interests include art, architecture and discovering the ideas that all civilizations share.
## External Links
- [The Symposium - Animation and related worksheets](http://www.panoply.org.uk/the-symposium.html#.WtoXhFiWznM)
- [In Our Time, Plato's Symposium](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mhyzk)
- [The Internet Classics Archive - Plato's Symposium](http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/symposium.html)
- [The Symposium in Ancient Greece | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/symp/hd_symp.htm)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Cartwright, M. (2013, January 27). Symposium: The Drinking Party of Ancient Greece. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Cartwright, Mark. "Symposium: The Drinking Party of Ancient Greece." *World History Encyclopedia*, January 27, 2013. .
### MLA
Cartwright, Mark. "Symposium: The Drinking Party of Ancient Greece." *World History Encyclopedia*, 27 Jan 2013, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Mark Cartwright](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/markzcartwright/ "User Page: Mark Cartwright"), published on 27 January 2013. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.