Mixed Company at Greek Symposiums
At the height of an Athenian drinking party, courtesans and their lovers reclined elbow-to-elbow—while wives were nowhere in sight.
Unknown — "Boxer" (100–30 BCE), CC0
No Wives Allowed: Greek Drinking Parties
Step into a smoky Athenian dining room at midnight—every man is stretched on a couch, cup in hand. There's laughter, singing, sometimes arguments about poetry or politics. But no wives. Never wives.
Courtesans, Flutes, and Fluid Rules
The only women present? Hired entertainers. Courtesans, flute-girls, and dancers drift between the couches, pouring wine and more. Athenians drew a hard line: their own wives must stay pure, at home, while men flaunted freedom behind closed doors.
The Greek symposium was a wild mix of philosophy, music, and sex—but always strictly male company, except for hired entertainers and prostitutes. Respectable women stayed home. The lines between social class and sexual access ran straight down the couches.
