What is Symposium?
[[File:Symposium scene Nicias Painter MAN.jpg|thumb|300px|Nude guest wear wreaths, play [[kottabos]], and recline on couches and pillows while a female slave plays the aulos]] A '''symposium''' ([[plural]]: symposia) was a drinking party in [[Ancient Greece]]. Guests were males. Well bred women did not attend. Boys or slave girls served the food and drink, danced, juggled, played music, or otherwise entertained the assembly. These servers were usually nude. The symposium was an [[aristocracy|aristocratic]] [[institution]] often held to celebrate a young man's entry into adult society, an athletic victory, or a poetic achievement. It was an occasion for male [[conversation]] and debate. Party-goers reclined on couches and pillows. Guests played a game called [[kottabos]], [[Greek wrestling|wrestled]], and held song contests. A symposium is described in [[Plato]]'s ''[[The Symposium]]''. The party is attended by [[Socrates]] and the young, drunken, and nearly nude [[Alcibiades]]. {{Europe-stub}} [[Category:Ancient Greek culture]] [[Category:Social events]]