Petronius, Satyricon 65-66

Commentary

The “delightful scene” refers to the passage right before. The literal translation of humanitatem would be humanity or kindness. However, in this context, the narrator is being sarcastic, since the scene before was not pleasant at all. In the scene, Trimalchio’s dog runs amok, breaks decorations, and even causes some guests to be burned with oil. (Petronius Satyricon, 64). 

A thrush refers to a small bird, such as a nightingale, which is common in Europe. This bird seems to have been one that the Romans would often eat since it is also mentioned by the poet Martial in his work (Martial Epigrams, 7.20 verse 6). Click here for an image of a turdus pilaris, a thrush native to Europe.

The “goose eggs which looked like they had little hats” (ova anserina pilleata) can be understood through Smith’s commentary: “The use of this phrase here… shows that… it must have been a technical term. Perhaps it refers to some covering to keep the eggs warm. If, however, as most commentators have assumed, it is applied to some way of cooking eggs, Sullivan’s eggs in pastry hoods’ looks quite possible” (Smith 1975, 181). The pilleus was an unbrimmed, pointed cap worn by freed slaves, so there may have been an additional connotation of freedom. Click here for an image of a marble relief from the 1st century BCE showing recently freed slaves wearing pilleus hats.

The “man” refers to a lictor, which was an ancient Roman bodyguard to men who held imperium. Originally there were 12 of them, appointed by Romulus, and each would hold rods of bundled sticks called the fasces. Lictors were able to carry out capital punishment. Click here for an image of a bronze statuette of a Roman lictor holding the fasces.

The other man “clothed in white” refers to the “comissator,” which is translated as a reveler. Sedgwick’s commentary can provide insight into why a reveler was there: “It was customary for revelers thus to burst in” (Sedgwick 1967, 123).  Additionally, “clothed in white” refers to the veste alba which Smith explains: “Habinnas wears white, the appropriate colour for a festive occasion, even one in honour of the dead” (Smith 1975, 182).

“Senator” is used here instead of the word praetor, an official in Rome who could administer justice. Praetors had lictors and wore purple togas. During the empire, they oversaw paying for the public games. I felt like the word senator makes more sense to modern audiences while keeping the original text’s context. (Kierdof 2006)

 Agamemnon is one of the other guests at Trimalchio’s dinner party, elsewhere identified as a teacher of rhetoric (Petronius, Satyricon 3-5). 

“an official” refers to sevir: “a member of a board or college consisting of six men, a sexvir. One of the presidents of the six divisions of Roman knights.” (Lewis and Short)

“several fancy hats”  translates “aliquot coronis.” I felt that this phrase would fit better for modern audiences than the literal meaning, “some crowns/garlands.” Sedgwick explains that “garlands were worn at drinking bouts” (Sedgwick 1967, 123).

The “seat of honor” refers to “praetorio loco,” literally “place for the praetor.” Because I did not use the term praetor earlier, I used this more general phrase for the special seating spot. 

 “My goodness” refers to “mehercules” or “By Hercules!” This is a colloquial exaggeration, and “my goodness” is a common modern-day phrase providing the same feeling.

 Scissa refers to the host of the banquet that Habinnas had attended before Trimalchio’s. (Petronius Satyricon 65).

 The nine-day banquet was the Novendialem. Smith’s commentary states that “after nine days of mourning, offerings were made to the spirit of the dead person, and a banquet was held for the mourners” (Smith 1975, 183).

 The tax collectors were called in Latin vicensimarii, or “the collectors of the vicesima.” (Smith 1975, 184). The vicesima was “a tax of five per cent. Every Roman, when he manumitted a slave, had to pay to the state a tax of one-twentieth of this value, whence the tax was called vicesima manumissionis” (Smith 1875).

 50,000 – The currency used is not stated, however I believe it is referring to sesterces since Cohen states that a doctor “was able to pay 50,000 sesterces for his freedom” (Cohen Roman Inequality, 26).

 “pour half the drinks” – The act of pouring wine out for a dead friend was honorable and common in ancient Rome. They even had some tombs designed so that wine could be poured into a cup placed on a statue’s hand on the lid of the sarcophagus and then flow into a hole and seep into the bones. This custom of honoring the dead is where the phrase “pouring one out” comes from. (Bell, “Libations and the Ancient History of Pouring One Out”)

 [LXVI]

“blood sauce” – Smith states that the “sangunculum” was “possibly a blood sauce rather than a blood sausage or black pudding” (Smith 1975, 184).

 “extra” – I translated the “de suo sibi” as “extra” because that sounds better than saying ‘on its own for itself’ and still providing the same meanings.

 “Spanish wine” – Wines imported from Spain were common in Rome after Augustus began planting vineyards there. Through their road systems, the wine was easily able to be carried into Rome (O’Neill, Wines in Ancient Rome).

 “tied in my napkin” – This is not the only occurrence in Roman literature of someone putting food into their napkin to take it back home. Martial 7.20 is a poem stating that a man stole lots of food and put it in his “mappa” and then went home to sell it the next day (Martial Epigrams, 7.20).

 “My wife” – Smith states that “domina mea” (literally “my mistress”) was a phrase that “might be used by a man of any class when referring to his wife”. Because of this, I felt it more understandable to translate it as “wife”. (Smith 1975, 186).

“bit of bear” – Smith’s commentary provides insight into the consumption of bears in Roman times. He states that “despite the opportunities offered by the wholesale slaughter of bears in the arena, bear-meat does not seem to have been much eaten” (Smith 1975, 186).

Scintilla – This is the first time she is referred to by name. A few paragraphs later, we learn that she is Habinnas’s wife. (Petronius, Satyricon 66)

Sources

Petronius. Satyricon. Translated by A. S. Kline. Poetry in Translation, 2018. https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/PetroniusSatyriconPartIII.php.

Bell, Emily. “Libations and the Ancient History of Pouring One Out.” VinePair, December 3, 2015. https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/libations-and-the-ancient-history-of-pouring-one-out/?ss=reddit

Cohen, Edward E. “Inequality,” In Roman Inequality: Affluent Slaves, Businesswomen, Legal Fictions.” New York: Oxford University Press, 2023. https://academic.oup.com/book/46440/chapter/407713608.  

Lendering, Jona. “Lictor.” Livius.org. 2002. https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/lictor/

Lewis, Charlton T. and Short, Charles. A Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879. Available online at https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059

Kierdorf, Wilhelm. “Praetor.” In Brill’s New Pauly Online. Leiden: Brill, 2006. Doi: https://doi-org.newman.richmond.edu/10.1163/1574-9347_bnp_e1007380

Martial. “Martial, Epigrams 7.20.” Translated by W. Ker. Topostext, 2008. https://topostext.org/work/677. 

O’Neill, Mark. “Wines in Ancient Rome.” Mark O’Neill, March 1, 2019. https://markoneill.es/en/wines-in-ancient-rome. 

Sedgwick, W. B. 1967. The Cena Trimalchionis of Petronius. Edited, commentary. London: Oxford Clarendon Press.

Smith, Martin S. 1975. Petroni Arbitri Cena Trimalchionis. Edited, commentary. London: Oxford Clarendon Press.

Smith, William. 1875. “Vicesima.” A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Penelope UChicago. Accessed May 4, 2024. https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Vicesima.html