Arguably the most well-known symposium game, κότταβος (kottabos) was depicted via art on cups, vases, and kylikes, such as the figure to the left, and was written of in literary sources (Sparkes 1960; 202-207). Though there is evidence of this game of skill in many sources, we still are not completely sure how it was played, partially due to the fact that there were different variants of the same basic premise: it was was played when one finished their wine, flinging the dregs from their kylix at some kind of target. Some variations had the targets be floating cups that were sunk when filled with enough wine, another version had a plate balanced on top of a pole which would fall when wine hit it correctly (Lissarrague 1990; 81-83). There is some evidence that when playing kottabos, one would say the name of their beloved as they threw (Lissarrague 1990; 83).
