One way that hosts could show off their wealth was in the vessels provided. In other words, the symposium was an opportunity for aristocratic men to display their wealth and sophistication. Symposia were not merely relaxed social gatherings they also functioned as "a place for the ostentatious display not just of gilded ceilings or inlaid floors, Ionian couches, exotic entertainment, or luxury vases, but also of the cultural quality of host and guests" (2). Entertainment was provided by musicians, acrobats, and other performers, while symposiasts often engaged in activities including reciting poetry, telling bawdy jokes, and having sex. Symposiasts drank from specialized drinking cups, which could be made from terracotta or more expensive metals, such as bronze, silver, and gold. Klinai were long and often elaborately decorated. The andron was usually located close to the front entrance of a house to limit visitors' access to the more private parts of the house. In the andron, participants of the symposium, called symposiasts, would recline on couches called klinai that were arranged around the borders of the room. They were often held in private houses in a purpose-built room called the andron. Symposia in ancient Greece were hosted by aristocratic men for their peers. Symposia are sometimes defined as banquets, but the official symposium usually occured after the consumption of food and is best understood as a drinking party (1). Our evidence for symposia comes from illustrations on various types of Greek vases, archaeological remains of houses and of vessels used during symposia, and discussions and descriptions in ancient texts, such as Plato's Symposium and Xenophon's Symposium, both written around 360 B.C.E. Its name, "symposium," literally refers to a "drinking together," a hint for the defining activity shared by participants of the symposium: the consumption of wine. London: Macmillan and, Limited.A symposium is a ritualized drinking event in ancient Greece. The statuette may have been produced in ancient Laconia, a region primarily dominated by the Spartan state at the time. At the time of photograph, this artifact was on display at the British Museum.Īncient Heraean Games | History of Running | History of Fitness | Ancient Olympic Games | Panhellenic Games While not impossible, this is highly unlikely, as there are no known accounts of women wearing this men’s tunic for any activity except competing the ancient Heraean Games. Some sources suggest this figurine depicts a dancing girl. As opposed to competing in the nude as men did in the ancient Olympic Games and other Panhellenic festivals, competitors in the Heraean Games (all women) donned the type of tunic men wore for physical labor. This figure depicts a female runner, likely participating in the Heraean Games, as her clothing matches the description of competitors in this festival as given by the Greek geographer Pausanias in the 2nd century AD. Her left arm is holding the front of her dress. She is wearing a tunic covering only the left shoulder and left breast, extending down to just above the knees. Her upper body is turned, looking behind her to the right, with her left leg and arm forward. A small bronze statue is fashioned in the image of a running girl.
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