Symposium

Term (Greek sympósĭon; Latin symposium) for a drinking party accompanied by witty conversation, jokes, songs, music, games and performances, with moderate, controlled consumption of wine in ancient Greece. The earliest mentions of it come from the 6th century B.C. poet Xenophanes (570-470), as well as from the historian Herodotus (482-425 B.C.) and the philosopher Plato (428/427-348/347 B.C.), who described the rules in his law "Nomoi". The custom spread from Greece to Rome and Italy and was widespread until the end of antiquity, especially among the wealthy. The Greek term means "drinking together in a sociable way". However, this should by no means be understood merely as a boisterous drinking and eating binge, for the focus was on communal, godly, ritualised and civilised conviviality. The painting shows the famous work "Symposion" by Plato (428/427-348/347 BC) with the participants Aristophanes (450-380 BC) and Socrates (470-399 BC).

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Symposium

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Symposium

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