The symposion or male drinking group of archaic and classical Greece was an institution whose influence can be detected in many areas of ancient Greek life, from politics and warfare, to painted pottery and poetry, to sexual attitudes and conceptions of pleasure. This is the first book to be published on the symposion as a whole. The papers discuss a wide range of topics from the importance of Greek drinking customs to anthropology, archaeology, art history, literary studies, history, and philosophy. In addition, Murray includes a useful historical introduction to the field of sympotic studies and a general bibliography.