Ancient Greek Drinking Game!

[Pantagathus]

Cottăbus

 

A Greek game very popular at drinking-bouts. The player lay on a couch, and in that position tried to throw a few drops of wine, in as high a curve as possible, at a mark, without spilling any of the wine. The mark was a bronze goblet or saucer on the end of an upright rod; and it was a point to make a noise when hitting it. On the goblet or saucer was fastened a little image or a bust of Hermes, and which the player had to hit first with the wine. The wine was supposed to make a sound both in hitting the figure and in falling afterwards into the saucer. This, of course, greatly increased the difficulty of the game.

 

There was another form of the game, in which the point was to make the wine hit the saucer while floating in a large vessel of water and sink it. The game was played in a chamber made for the purpose. The form of the room was circular, to give every player an equal chance of hitting the mark, which was placed in the centre. The victor generally received a prize agreed upon beforehand. The players also used the game to discover their chances of success in love. They uttered the name of their beloved while throwing the wine. A successful throw gave a good omen, an unsuccessful one a bad omen. A good player leaned upon his left elbow, remained quite quiet, and used only his right hand to throw with.

 

The game came originally from Sicily, but became popular through the whole of Greece, and especially at Athens, where to play well was a mark of good breeding. It did not go out of fashion until the fourth century after Christ. - William Smith DOG&RM

[DecimusCaesar]

I remember this being one of the first anecdotes I read about when I became intrested in Ancient Greece. It sounds like they should bring it back to modern times. It's rather like a game that they would have at some upper class gatherings in the early twentieth century.

[WotWotius]

The game has already been executed tonight at a Classics Society social!

 

Thank you Pantagathus for your wonderful idea!

 

I am a little far gone at the moment, but I shall give you a full reprot tomorrow afternoon.

[Pantagathus]

Most Excellent! The Gods will be quite pleased... :pimp:

[Andrew Dalby]

The game has already been executed tonight at a Classics Society social!

 

Thank you Pantagathus for your wonderful idea!

 

I am a little far gone at the moment, but I shall give you a full reprot tomorrow afternoon.

 

I look forward to your full reprot [sic]. I imagine everyone gets pretty thoroughly spattered with wine by the end of the game, WW?

[WotWotius]

I will say two statements that encapsulate the game:

 

1) Do not wear white while playing the game.

 

2) Never again...

[Favonius Cornelius]

I thought drinking games come with some sort of forced imbibing penalty with failure? Sounds like a lot of wasted wine to me!

[WotWotius]

The wine we were using cost

[Andrew Dalby]

The wine we were using cost