Alexandria's founded by Alexander

Alexandria's founded by Alexander the Great (by year BC): 334 Alexandria in Troia (Turkey) - 333 Alexandria at Issus/Alexandrette (Iskenderun, Turkey) - 332 Alexandria of Caria/by the Latmos (Alinda, Turkey) - 331 Alexandria Mygdoniae - 331 Alexandria (Egypt) - 330 Alexandria Ariana (Herat, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria of the Prophthasia/in Dragiana/Phrada (Farah, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in Arachosia (Kandahar, Afghanistan) - 330 Alexandria in the Caucasus (Begram, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria of the Paropanisades (Ghazni, Afghanistan) - 329 Alexandria Eschate or Ultima (Khodjend, Tajikistan) - 329 Alexandria on the Oxus (Termez, Afghanistan) - 328 Alexandria in Margiana (Merv, Turkmenistan) - 326 Alexandria Nicaea (on the Hydaspes, India) - 326 Alexandria Bucephala (on the Hydaspes, India) - 325 Alexandria Sogdia - 325 Alexandria Oreitide - 325 Alexandria in Opiene / Alexandria on the Indus (confluence of Indus & Acesines, India) - 325 Alexandria Rambacia (Bela, Pakistan) - 325 Alexandria Xylinepolis (Patala, India) - 325 Alexandria in Carminia (Gulashkird, Iran) - 324 Alexandria-on-the-Tigris/Antiochia-in-Susiana/Charax (Spasinou Charax on the Tigris, Iraq) - ?Alexandria of Carmahle? (Kahnu)

Saturday, May 27, 2017

All you need to know about Greek Symposia

Cigarettes, Whisky and Wild Wild Women” is the title of a song that the not-so-young among us may remember. Yet, there is nothing new under the sun for in antiquity the Greeks would enjoy their own version of fun with “Wine, Women and Wisdom” as these were the main ingredients for their Symposia.

The philosophic part may have been an elegant pretext for their decadent banquets where all was about enjoying themselves with wine, women and music. In an earlier post, The Symposium by Plato I touched the subject as I was more interested in Plato as tutor of Aristotle, who in turn was the tutor of young Alexander.

But it is clear that there is far more to say about these symposia that were open for men only – the only women present were hetaera hired to entertain the men – who met in a special room, the andron, where the couches shared by two men were lined up against the outer walls. Many of such rooms were found all over the Greek world and many such scenes were depicted on countless vases as the tradition goes back to the 9th century BC.

A very systematic and detailed article has appeared in National Geographic and it is very much worth reading as it highlights and illustrates the many aspects of the Symposia.

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