Common meals for men and youths in social or religious groups in Ancient Greece
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The syssitia (Ancient Greek: συσσίτιαsyssítia, plural of συσσίτιονsyssítion)[1] were, in ancient Greece, common meals for men and youths in social or religious groups, especially in Crete and Sparta, but also in Megara in the time of Theognis of Megara (sixth century BCE) and Corinth in the time of Periander (seventh century BCE).
The banquets spoken of by Homer relate to the tradition. Some reference to similar meals can be found in Carthage and according to Aristotle (Politics VII. 9), it prevailed still earlier amongst the Oenotrians of Calabria.[2]
The origin of the syssítia is attributed to Rhadamanthus, the legendary lawgiver of Knossos of Crete. This is explained by Cleinias of Crete in conversation with an Athenian and a Spartan, in Plato's dialogue the Laws. Lycurgus of Sparta certainly made use of the practice in Sparta.
^συσσίτιον. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project.
^This article relies heavily on the French Wikipedia article, translated 13 June 2006, as well as (Smith 1870)
The syssitia (Ancient Greek: συσσίτια syssítia, plural of συσσίτιον syssítion) were, in ancient Greece, common meals for men and youths in social or religious...
amount of what they yielded from their kleros to their syssitia, or mess. These donations to the syssitia were a requirement for every Spartan citizen. All...
military training, called the agoge, and who were members in good standing of syssitia (mess hall), were eligible. Usually, the only people eligible to receive...
Deipnosophists (Banquet of the Learned) of Athenaeus. The syssitia (τὰ συσσίτια tà syssítia) were mandatory meals shared by social or religious groups...
boys' clothes daily to ensure that they fit. The ephors had their own syssitia, the common meal of Spartan citizens. Only 67 ephors are known by name...
such as cowardice in battle or the inability to pay for membership in the syssitia. Failure to pay became such an increasingly severe problem because commercial...
such as cowardice in battle and inability to pay for membership in the syssitia. The latter became increasingly severe; as commercial activity began to...
innovated the Gerousia, the Ephorate, the Enomotiae, the Triacades and the Syssitia. Herodotus does not mention the oracle in the second report. The associated...
general sense, ranging from "club leader" to "master of the tables" at syssitia to "Roman governor".[citation needed] In Athens, a system of three concurrent...
of impoverished Spartiates. Mothakes were not able to contribute to the syssitia, the core civic daily institution for citizens, and thus were not allowed...
such as Sparta. Aristotle also describes a Carthaginian equivalent to the syssitia, communal meals that were the mark of citizenship and social class in Greek...
they made them to dance low dances, and sing ridiculous songs..." during syssitia (obligatory banquets). However, he notes that this rough treatment was...
instead they were expected to live communally with other members of their syssitia. Due to the husband's absence, women were expected to run the household...
as citizens often got into debts to pay for their contribution to the syssitia, and many had lost their status when the burden became too high. redistribution...
from each member eating at the Spartan mess (syssitia) to purchase the pigs at the market. The mess (syssitia) was a membership-based institution that Spartan...
Cuisine of ancient Greece Kykeon Wine in ancient Greece Symposium Kottabos Syssitia Education in ancient Greece Paideia Fiction set in ancient Greece Greek...
were organised earlier in the period. Hetair-, a Greek linguistic root Syssitia Azoria, Crete (possible 6th-century BC andreion recovered in excavations...
the criteria –the mandatory contribution to the communal mess hall, the Syssitia– anymore, or who had lost it or had never gotten it in the first place...
to an agela, they partook of the public meals for men andreia (Laconian syssitia). These institutions were afterwards preserved in only a few states of...
of which was that every Spartan who was unable to pay his share in the syssitia (common meal for men in Doric societies) lost his full citizenship, although...
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