The Satyricon — Volume 02: Dinner of Trimalchio

by Petronius Arbiter

"The Satyricon — Volume 02: Dinner of Trimalchio" by Petronius Arbiter is a Latin work of fiction written in the late 1st century AD. This volume focuses on the infamous banquet hosted by Trimalchio, an enormously wealthy freedman who entertains guests with grotesque extravagance. The narrator Encolpius and his companions endure outrageous courses, vulgar displays of wealth, and pretentious conversation among freedmen. Through this satirical dinner party, Petronius exposes the absurdity and ostentation of newly rich Romans, creating a vivid portrait of everyday life in the early Roman Empire.