About the book: 2008 / Wine is the soul of ancient Greek culture. The symposium, a friendly drinking session and, at the same time, one of the most significant social institutions, is one of the main places where cultural meanings and forms were born and produced. The book by François Lissarrague, one of the best modern French Hellenists, through the analysis of the symposium and the cultural codes and practices operating within its framework, allows us to take a fresh look at key aspects of the Greek way of living and seeing the world, as well as the origins of many later European traditions.