Symposium

About the Tour

In ancient Greece, men of the house regularly hosted a symposium, a drinking party, in a closed-off space, appropriately called andron, the men’s place. The symposium aimed primarily to promote bonds through common drinking, as its name suggests in Greek, and shared experiences. As witnessed in many vase scenes and accounts in literature, men and their friends drank, sang, talked, joked, played music and games, and entertained themselves, sharing among them not only wine, but also women; not their solemn wives, mothers, or daughters, who were excluded from these activities, but visiting women, hired to offer amusement or sex. These private banquets essentially brought the brothel into the house, offering liberal sexual pleasures, without violating the productive sexuality of respectable women of the house. Wine, always diluted with water, since only barbarians were thought to drink their wine straight, induced merrymaking and lubricated shared experiences. In Athens, the symposium, originally reserved for the aristocratic elite, soon spread to the lower classes under the Athenian democracy. Serving as a microcosm of Classical Athenian society, the symposium reflected and shaped the social norms of Athens, promoting male companionship and political equality, and female control and submission. 🙋‍♀️𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗚𝗨𝗜𝗗𝗘: Dr. Anthi Dipla Classical archaeologist/art historian who has graduated from Oxford University (MA, PhD). She has participated in excavations, scientific projects and conferences in Greece, Cyprus and abroad. Her research has been focused on Greek vase painting, iconography, and mythology, with further interests in women studies, social history, ancient Greek theatre, and cultural exchange in the ancient Mediterranean world, and has been published extensively in international peer-reviewed periodicals and books. As a tour guide, she has joined various Greek and foreign tour operators, specializing in VIP clients. ✅𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗧 Every tour on Virtual Tour in Greece is supported entirely by your tips. We make our tours free to join to make it accessible to everyone who wants to explore Greece and its wonderful monuments. This, however, only works when everyone tips what they can. The majority of your tips go directly to your guide, while Virtual Tour in Greece only keeps a small portion of the tips earned to keep the platform running smoothly and improving. Every tip counts, as they help our guides and keep the platform growing!

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