Widespread in both Greek and Roman tradition, the symposium was a convivial custom that generally followed a banquet. The guests drank, sang songs and enjoyed a variety of entertainment in the Andron, an area reserved for men.
The only women admitted to the symposia were the hetairai, entertainers educated in art and music since childhood.
Scenes from the symposium are well described on the surface of some Attican vases, such as a krater (large vase) from Gela, displayed at the “Paolo Orsi” Archaeological Museum, which depicts the second part of the banquet, the room and the clothing of the guests.
