The rise of the Greek aristocratic banquet / Marek Wecowski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Węcowski, Marek, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Symposium (Classical Greek drinking party).

Greece--Social life and customs.

Greece.

Manners and customs.

Physical Description:

xxv, 400 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Summary:

In this book Wecowski offers a comprehensive account of the origins of the symposion and its close relationship with the rise of the Greek city-state or polis. Broadly defined as a culture-oriented aristocratic banquet, the symposion - which literally means 'drinking together' - was a nocturnal wine party held by Greek aristocrats from Homer to Alexander the Great. Its distinctive feature was the crucial importance of diverse cultural competitions, including improvising convivial poetry, among the guests. Cultural skills and abilities were a prerequisite in order for one to be included in elite drinking circles, and, as such, the symposion served as a forum for the natural selection of Greek aristocracy.

Contents:

0.1 An Outline of Sympotic Studies 1

0.2 Symposion in Perspective: Some Methodological Considerations 4

0.3 Entering the Symposion: The Historical Unity of the Greek Aristocratic Banquet 7

0.4 Appendix I: Typologies of the Feast: Two Theoretical Models 12

Part I Defining the Symposion

1 Early Greek Aristocracy and the Symposion 19

1.1 The Nature of Archaic Greek Aristocracy 19

1.2 Describing the Symposion: A Working Hypothesis 27

1.3 Symposion and Aristocracy: Social Realities and Group-Ideals 55

1.4 Conclusions: The Nature and Social Functions of the Aristocratic Banquet 74

1.5 Appendix II: Sex and the Symposion 81

2 Towards a Definition of the Symposion 85

2.1 'Rejoice While the Cup Goes Circling Round!' 85

2.2 'Anti-Symposia' in Greek Thought 97

2.3 Conclusions: Towards a New Definition of the Symposion 117

Part II The Symposion and History

3 The 'Cup of Nestor', the Near East, and the Early Archaic Symposion 127

3.1 The 'Cup of Nestor' and the Symposion 127

3.2 Symposion and the Near East 139

3.3 The Reclining Banquet and Early Sympotic Architecture 159

3.4 Conclusions: The Nature of the Symposion in the Late Eighth and Early Seventh Century BC 187

3.5 Appendix III: The Reclining Banquet and the Orientalization of the Symposion 188

4 Homer, the 'Heroic Feast', and the Symposion 191

4.1 Introduction: How to Read the 'Homeric Feast'? 191

4.2 The Heroic Banquet and the Symposion 196

4.3 The Symposion in Homer 214

4.4 Conclusions: Homer, Symposion, and History 234

5 The Symposion and Archaeology up to the Early Seventh Century BC 249

5.1 Introduction: Wine for the Dead and Wine for the Living 249

5.2 An Historical Signpost: The 'Cup of Nestor' in its Euboean Context 251

5.3 Toward a Wider Historical Context: Geometric Athens and the Aegean 271

5.4 A 'Symposion Effect' in the Mediterranean? 294

6 Conclusions and Implications: The Symposion, Aristocracy, and the Rise of the Polis 303

6.1 Preliminary Remarks 303

6.2 The Greek City, Aristocracy, and the Circulating Cup 306

6.3 Homer-The Symposion and the New Elite 308

6.4 Hypothesis: The Dark Ages, the Rise of the Polis, and the Birth of Greek Aristocracy 318.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0199684014

OCLC:

833405035

Publisher Number:

99958865100