Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

] 082 SYMPOSI U M. SY MPOSI UM.
that the object of the Athenians in bringing such Plato, that even the Athenians frequently concauses to Athens was, not to give the allies a cluded their drinking-parties in rather a riotous
better or speedier means of obtaining justice, but manner, and it was to guard against this that such
to secure certain advantages to the imperial city. parties were forbidden at Sparta and in Crete.
(Xenoph. de Republ. Ath. i. 16.) It is, however, (Plat. iVin. p. 320, a.)
not improbable that the arrangement was called The wine was almost invariably mixed with
orz'uoAxa, for the very purpose of softening the water, and to drink it unmixed (6icpaTrov) was conharshness of the measure, by giving an honourable sidered a characteristic of barbarians. (Plat. Leg.
name to that which in reality was a mark of servi- i. p. 637, e.) Zaleucus is said to have enacted a
tude. For the same reason the confederate states law among the Locrians, by which any one who
were called eao-utaXol, allies, while in point of fact was ill and drank of unmixed wine without the
they were rather virKooL or subjects. command of his physician, was to be put to death
These causes were tried in the summer months, (Aelian, V. H. ii. 37); and the Greeks in generali
when the voyage to Athens was more convenient, considered unmixed wine as exceedingly prejudicial
and (like all other aicKa &rb cavpGos'Awv) belonged to physical and mental health. (Athen. ii. p. 36,
to the jurisdiction of the Thesmothetae. We have b.) The Spartans attributed the insanity of Cleobut one example of such a cause preserved to us, menes to his indulging in this practice, which he
viz. the speech of Antiphon on the death of learnt from the Scythians. (Herod. vi. 84.) So
Herodes, where both the prosecutor and the de- universal was it not to drink wine unless mixed
fendant are natives of Mytilene. (Harpoc. s. v. with water, that the word ob'os is always applied
U/c:goAa: Thucyd. i. 77. c. not. Goeller; Platner, to such a mixture, and whenever wine is spoken
Proc. und Klay. vol. i. pp. 105-114; Meier, Att. of in connection with drinking, we are always to
Proc. pp. 67, 773; Schimann, Ant. jut. putbl. understand wine mixed with water, unless the
Gr. p. 376.) [C. K.] word &Kparos is expressly added (bo Kpa/ta,
SYMBUILI (cd RouXou). [PAREDRr.] icatrot vraTros ueteTXOY wrXeLOiOS, OOa ucaXoiUeY,
SYMMO'RIA (oeu/wtopia). [EISPHORA.; Plut. Coju7zg. Praec. 20).
TIRIERARCHIA.] The proportion, in which the wine and water
SY'MPHOREIS (uvtpIopess). [EXERCITUS, were mixed, naturally differed on different occap. 485, b.] sions. To make a mixture of even half wine and
SYMPO'SIUM (vpu7roduov, cosmissatio, convi- half water ('-ov i'oli) was considered injurious
viumz), a drinking-party. The o-qusrdtrLo, or the (Athen. 1. c.), and generally there was a much
7r&ro0, must be distinguished from the egrso, for greater quantity of water than of wine. It appears
though drinking almost always followed a dinner- from Plutarch (Syinp. iii. 9), Athenaens (x. p. 426),
party, yet the former was regarded as entirely dis.. and Eustathius (nd Od. ix. 209. p. ]624), that the
tinct from the latter, was regulated by different most common proportions were 3: 1, or 2: 1, or
customs, and frequently received the addition of 3: 2. Hesiod (Op. 596) recommends the first of
many guests, who were not present at the dinner. these.
For the Greeks did not usually drink at their The wine was mixed either with warm or cold
dinner, and it was not till the conclusion of the water: the former, which corresponded to the Calida
meal, that wine was introduced, as is explained or Calda of the Romans [CALIDA], was by far the
under COENA [p. 306, a]. Thus we read in the less common. On the contrary, it was endeavoured
Symposium of Plato (p. 176, a.) that after the to obtain the water as cool as possible, and for this
dinner had been finished, the libations made, and purpose both snow and ice were frequently emthe paean sung, they turned to drinking (PE — ployed. [PSYCTER.] Honey was sometimes put
~rerOads 7rpbs'-bcr,ohTO). in the wine (Athen. i. p. 32, a.), and also spices.
Symposia seem to have been very frequent at (Id. p. 31, e.): in the latter case it received the
Athens. Their enjoyment was heightened by name of -ppieua, and is frequently mentioned by
agreeable conversation, by the introduction of music the writers of the New Coniedy. (Pollux, vi. 18.)
and dancing, and by games and amusements of Other ingredients were also occasionally added.
various kinds: sometimes, too, philosophical sub- The mixture was made in a large vessel called
jects were discussed at them. The Symposia the cparT7p [CRATER], from which it was conof Plato and Xenophon give us a lively idea of veyed into the drinking-cups bymeans of oitoXoda
such entertainments at Athens. The name itself or ucvauo0. [CYATHUS.] The cups usually eamshows, that the enjoyment of drinking was the ployed were the icvAxtm, (&X7, c pXi-siovx, and
main object of the Symposia: wine from the juice KcdYapos, of which an account is given in separate
of the grape (o'ios aiure'Aitos) was the only drink articles. The Ptvrdo, or drinking-horn, was also
partaken of by the Greeks, with the exception of very commonly used. We find several craters on
water. For palm-wine and beer [CEREVISIA], vases representing drinking scenes. (See for exthough known to many of the Greeks from inter- ample allzus. Borbonz. vol. v. t. 51.)
course with foreign nations, were never introduced The guests at a Symposium reclined on couches
among them; and the extraordinary cheapness of and were crowned with garlands of flowers, as is
-wine at Athens [VINUM] enabled persons even in explained under COENA. A master of the revels
moderate circumstances to give drinking-parties to (S6pXo;r si 7srmOeasS, -vsmU7ro-iapXos or/ a-TmAevs) was
their friends. Even in the most ancient times usually chosen to conduct thd Symposium (sraSao'ythe enjoyment of wine was considered one of the yseI', s-v7ro'-ov,, Plat. Leg. i. p. 641, a. b.), whose
greatest sources of pleasure, and hence Musaeus commands the whole company had to obey, and
and his son supposed that the just passed their who regulated the whole order of the entertaintime in Hades in a state of perpetual intoxication, ment, proposed the amusements, &c. The same
as a reward of their virtue (y?77a-dteEoV KaedAXulrTOY practice prevailed among the Romans, and their
speTris t0s-Obi' Ye'OqcV aihc6moc, Plat. Leg. ii. p. 363, Symposiarch was called the Megayister or Rex Conc. d.). It would appear from the Symposium of vivii, or the Ar-bites Bibendi. The choice was