Drinking Vessels

The symposium was a drinking party at which men would gather to enjoy wine and other entertainments, such as discussions of philosophy and politics, or dances from courtesans. Symposia originated in Classical Greece, but their popularity endured well into the Imperial period of ancient Rome. Drinking remained the central focus of the occasion, with the wine and drinking vessels maintaining close and ritualistic associations with Dionysus: the Greek god of wine, dance, and music, and deity of liberation.