The Rise of the Greek Aristocratic BanquetIn The Rise of the Greek Aristocratic Banquet, Wecowski offers a comprehensive account of the origins of the symposion and its close relationship with the rise of the Greek city-state or polis. Broadly defined as a culture-oriented aristocratic banquet, the symposion—which literally means 'drinking together'—was a nocturnal wine party held by Greek aristocrats from Homer to Alexander the Great. Its distinctive feature was the crucial importance of diverse cultural competitions, including improvising convivial poetry, among the guests. Cultural skills and abilities were a prerequisite in order for one to be included in elite drinking circles, and, as such, the symposion served as a forum for the natural selection of Greek aristocracy. |
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Aegean aforementioned agathoi already Anthesteria archaeological archaic and classical archaic period aristocratic banquet aristoi Athen Athenaeus Athenian Attic Beazley Archive Bravo burial cemetery Coldstream 2003 comm commensality context conv convivial Cretan Crielaard cultural Cup of Nestor custom deipnon Dietler diners dining Dionysus early eighth century BC élite epic epidexia epigram Eretria Euboean excavators feasters FGrHist fragment funerary Geometric grave Greece Greek Greek aristocratic Greek symposion heroes heroic feast historical Homer ideal Iliad important inscription interpretation kakoi Kerameikos kottabos krater Kritias kylix Lefkandi libation Lissarrague literary marzēah Mazarakis Mazarakis Ainian McLaughlin 2001 Murray Odyssey oinochoë Oropos passage pastimes perhaps Phaeacians Phoenician Pithekoussai Plut poem poet poetic poetry polis political pottery Quaest recently reclining ritual scholars seventh century skolion skyphoi skyphos social Spartan Suitors symbolic Symp symposia symposiasts symposion syssitia Telemachus tomb vases vessels Wecowski wine drinking καὶ