Translations:Banquets/4/en

It was a common event in Petra and Palmyra, its participants called ‘children of the banquet’ or, at Petra, ‘companions of the banquet’. The event was dedicated to a deity and involved eating and drinking. According to Strabo: The Nabateans … prepare common meals together in groups of thirteen persons,; and they have two girl-singers for each banquet. The king holds many drinking-bouts in magnificent style, but no one drinks more than eleven cupfuls, each time using a different golden cup. The king is so democratic that, in addition to serving himself, he sometimes even serves the rest himself in his turn. The host was titled ‘chief of the banquet’, or ‘symposiarch’ in Greek. It was a rotating post and a great responsibility, since one served the gods and the people. The host would oversee all the preparations and supply the wine out of their pocket. The banquets were generally held in a designated room within or near the temple precincts, which would be equipped with long benches for the guests to recline. Archaeologists have found these rooms, but the ones in Petra are smaller than the ones in Palmyra.