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The Symposium in Ancient Greece

• 
  Psykter, ca. 520–510 B.C.; Archaic; red-figure
  Attributed to Oltos
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)
  Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 (1989.281.69)
  
• 
  Volute-krater, ca. 515 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Karkinos Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 20 1/2 in. (52.2 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1921 (21.88.74)
  
  Obverse: mounted Amazons
  Reverse: symposium
  
• 
  Psykter with lid and two swinging handles, late 6th century B.C.
  Greek
  Bronze; H. 10 15/16 in. (27.8 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1960 (60.11.3a,b)
  
• 
  Handle of a hydria, early 6th century B.C.
  Greek
  Bronze; H. 10 1/2 in. (26.67 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1906 (06.1093)
  
• 
  Column-krater, ca. 550 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to Lydos
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 22 3/16 in. (56.39 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1931 (31.11.11)
  
  Obverse: Hephaistos on a mule among satyrs and maenads
  Reverse: Dionysos among satyrs and maenads
  
• 
  One-handled kantharos, ca. 500 B.C.; Archaic
  Attributed to the Class of the One-Handled Kantharoi
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 3/8 in. (28.9 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1963 (63.11.4)
  
• 
  Kylix–Type B, ca. 500 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Ashby Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
  Purchase, Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat Gift and The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 1993 (1993.11.5)
  
  Interior: warrior testing his trumpet
  Exterior: symposium scene
  
• 
  Kylix, ca. 540–530 B.C.; black-figure
  Attributed to the Amasis Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 4 7/8 in. (12.4 cm)
  Gift of Norbert Schimmel Trust, 1989 (1989.281.62)
  
  Obverse: Poseidon among Greek warriors
  Reverse: stables of Poseidon
  
• 
  Bell-krater (bowl for mixing wine and water) , ca. 440 B.C.; Red-figure
  Attributed to the Persephone Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1928 (28.57.23)
  
  Obverse: The return of Persephone
  Reverse: Libation scene
  
• 
  Bell-krater, ca. 440 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Painter of London E 497
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 5/8 in. (29.49 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1924 (24.97.30)
  
  Obverse: Orpheus playing lyre for Thracian men
  Reverse: libation scene
  
• 
  Lekythos, ca. 480 B.C.; red-figure
  Attributed to the Brygos Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 1/8 in. (28.4 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1924 (24.97.28)
  
• 
  Bell krater, ca. 460 B.C.; Classical; red-figure
  Attributed to the Danae Painter
  Greek, Attic
  Terracotta; H. 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)
  Roger Fund, 1923 (23.160.80)
  

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The Greek symposium was a male aristocratic activity, a tightly choreographed social gathering where men drank together, conversed, and enjoyed themselves in a convivial atmosphere. Bedecked in garlands, participants reclined—one or two to a couch—in a room designed to hold seven to fifteen couches with cushions and low tables (21.88.74). Many such rooms have been identified archaeologically in domestic settings, although the best representation is perhaps the painted Tomb of the Diver at Paestum.

Bedecked in garlands, participants reclined—one or two to a couch—in a room designed to hold seven to fifteen couches with cushions and low tables.

Related

Timelines (1)

• Ancient Greece, 1000 b.c.–1 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (3)

• Ancient Greek Dress
• Greek Gods and Religious Practices
• Music in Ancient Greece

Other Thematic Essays (19)

• Ancient Greek Bronze Vessels
• Ancient Greek Colonization and Trade and their Influence on Greek Art
• Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition
• Athenian Vase Painting: Black- and Red-Figure Techniques
• Classical Antiquity in the Middle Ages
• Classicism in Modern Dress
• Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece
• Greek Art in the Archaic Period
• List of Rulers of the Ancient Greek World
• Neoclassicism
• Nudity and Classical Themes in Byzantine Art
• Scenes of Everyday Life in Ancient Greece
• Southern Italian Vase Painting
• The Chiton, Peplos, and Himation in Modern Dress
• The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity
• The Roman Banquet
• Time of Day on Painted Athenian Vases
• Warfare in Ancient Greece
• Women in Classical Greece

Maps (2)

• Europe, 1000 B.C.-1 A.D.
• World, 1000 B.C.-1 A.D.

Index Terms (12)

Artist

• Ashby Painter (Greek, active ca. 500–480 b.c.)
• Brygos Painter (Greek, active ca. 490–470 b.c.)
• Class of the One–Handled Kantharoi
• Danae Painter (Greek, ca. 450–420 b.c.)
• Karkinos Painter (Greek, active ca. 500–480 b.c.)
• Oltos (Greek, active ca. 525–500 b.c.)
• Painter of London E 497 (Greek, active ca. 450–420 BC)
• Persephone Painter

Geography/Place

• The Balkan Peninsula

Subject Matter/Theme

• Amazons
• Musician
• Food and Feasting

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By the late sixth century B.C., there was an established repertoire of symposium vessels that included wine coolers, jugs, various drinking cups, and mixing vessels, many of which were decorated with scenes of drinking parties or of Dionysos and his followers (31.11.11). Water was mixed with wine in a large central krater to a strength determined by the symposiarch (master of ceremonies). The mixture, usually three or four parts water to one part wine, was served by slave boys who filled pitchers from the krater and poured the drink into each participant's cup (1993.11.5).




The men conversed, often about specific topics, as in Plato's Symposium, and some recited poetry or played music. Jokes, gossip, and games of skill and balance enlivened the evening, as did professional musicians (24.97.28), dancers, and courtesans. The well-conducted symposium was a center for the transmission of traditional values, as well as an event that provided liberation from everyday restraints within a carefully regulated environment.

Department of Greek and Roman Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Department of Greek and Roman Art. "The Symposium in Ancient Greece". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/symp/hd_symp.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Norris, Michael Greek Art from Prehistoric to Classical: A Resource for Educators. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Von Bothmer, Dietrich "Greek Vase Painting." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 31, no. 1 (Fall, 1972). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Greek Vase Painting" PDF "Greek Vase Painting: An Introduction" PDF