Le Satyricon

by Petronius Arbiter

"Le Satyricon" by Petronius Arbiter is a Latin work of fiction written in the late 1st century AD. This fragmentary Roman novel follows Encolpius and his companions through a series of bizarre, erotic, and comic adventures in the Roman underworld. Mixing prose and verse, the surviving episodes feature memorable scenes including the legendary banquet of Trimalchio, a vulgar freedman who flaunts his wealth with grotesque extravagance. The work offers both outrageous satire and vivid glimpses of everyday life in the early Roman Empire.