From the book
Symposium
Plato · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordThe aulos and syrinx are distinct instruments.
- In the SymposiumEryximachus allows the player to perform for herself or the women inside while the men associate through speeches.
- In this editionThe translation uses “pipe,” “panpipes,” and “pipe-girl.”
- A place to readThe performer is dismissed so the men can share speeches.
Meaning
The aulos and syrinx are distinct instruments. The female performer is not simply a decorative absence: the dismissal of one performer and the later entrance of a pipe-player help define what kind of company the guests are choosing.
Use in the book
Eryximachus allows the player to perform for herself or the women inside while the men associate through speeches. A pipe-player later brings the drunken Alcibiades into that verbal setting. His praise then argues that Socrates can accomplish without instruments what Marsyas does through them, even when a poor female performer plays the tunes. The contrast concerns medium and efficacy, not a claim that women cannot hear philosophy; Alcibiades explicitly includes women among its affected hearers.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
The translation uses “pipe,” “panpipes,” and “pipe-girl.” These should not be collapsed into a generic flute if that obscures the printed distinction between aulos and syrinx.
αὐλητρίς (aulētris)
aulētris — A female pipe-player, present as a performer and later assisting Alcibiades.
- 176e — αὐλητρίδα. Eryximachus proposes dismissing the player from the men’s gathering.
- 212d — αὐλητρίδα. A player supports Alcibiades as he enters.
Read: Pipe-girl and pipes.
αὐλός (aulos)
aulos — A pipe, the instrument represented on the opening silenus figures and associated with Marsyas.
- 215b — αὐλοὺς. The carved figures hold pipes or panpipes.
Read: Pipe-girl and pipes.
σύριγξ (syrinx)
syrinx — A panpipe, distinguished from the aulos in the description of the figures.
- 215b — σύριγγας. The alternative instrument held by the carven sileni.
Read: Pipe-girl and pipes.