Author Description

Petronii Cena Trimalchionis, presented here with a brief introduction and notes by Edward Payson Crowell, offers a vivid and satirical glimpse into the life of a nouveau riche freedman in first-century Rome. The work, a fragment of Petronius Arbiter's larger novel, "The Satyricon," centers on the extravagant and often absurd dinner party hosted by Trimalchio, a former slave who has amassed great wealth. Through sharp wit and keen observation, Petronius critiques the vulgarity, ostentation, and social climbing prevalent in Roman society. The narrative provides invaluable insights into the culture, customs, and language of the Roman Empire, making it a crucial text for students of classics, history, and literature. This edition aims to make Petronius's masterpiece accessible to a wider audience, providing context and explanations to enhance the reader's understanding and appreciation of this enduring work. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an impor