The wrath of Zeus

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In Greek mythology, hospitality was a divine right of guests and a divine duty of hosts. All strangers, without exception, were under the protection of Zeus Xenios - the god of strangers and suppliants. A violation of hospitality was likely to provoke the wrath of the gods.

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Why?

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Well, there were no inns or hotels in the ancient world - in fact, this was an age before even Booking.com. Travellers on the wild roads were few and far between, and they were entirely dependent on the kindness of strangers along the way for shelter and food. Divine protection was a necessary insurance policy for guests.

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It wasn't a bad insurance policy for hosts either. Gods disguised themselves as mortals on a seemingly weekly basis. It was impossible to know whether the sudden appearance of a dishevelled and weary traveller was just the early Ryanair flight arrival, or an all-powerful, all-knowing, vindictive god coming to stay. So it was best to treat all guests like gods. You know, just in case.

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Drinking Games

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Fast-forward to a mere 2500 years ago and the Greeks were making good use of their hosting skills at symposia: drinking parties.

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A symposium could be a platform for great philosophers of the day - Socrates, Plato or Aristotle discussed everything from love to society and democracy. Mainly though, they were an excuse for ancient Greek blokes to get smashed and look at women. And probably sing Oasis too.

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Guests would recline in a circle, and evenings would generally begin with a feast of cheese, olives and meats. Then the drinking would begin, and a 'master of the symposium' was selected at random from among the guests.

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Much like a university rugby captain, this man's job was to impose drinking on everyone, imposing forfeits on those who didn't. Forfeits ranged from dancing naked to giving piggybacks. Truly, this was the foundation of western civilisation.

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History Lessons

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So what can the Greeks teach us about modern hosting? Well, for starters, it's clear Greek philosophers would almost certainly fail our guest vetting process. But surely we can all learn a little by treating hospitality as a divine responsibility - even if the threat of eternal punishment in Hades has diminished in recent years.

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Happy World Philosophy Day!

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