Arveh, and welcome to Emperors of Rome, a Roman history podcast from La Trobe University.

I'm your host Matt Smith and with me today is Rianna Evans, Associate Professor in Classics

and Ancient History at La Trobe University.

This is episode CCXXXVI, Roman Dining. For the Romans,

the simple act of dinner was so much more than a meal. It was an opportunity to socialize and do

business, to see and be seen, and in some cases just to show off. Like everything, it is steeped in protocol and tradition,

but ultimately it emphasised spending time with others, as every good meal should. Here's Riannon

Evans. Dining has a really important social function to the Romans, especially elite Romans.

I mean, in some ways it's similar to what we do today.

It has a social function.

We get together, we eat together, and it has a kind of display function.

All right, so what you can serve up might show something about your wealth or your know how about cookery.

I think we think of it as a kind of family

coming together or having a social aspect and not just if you're having grand dinners, but just

getting together and having lunch. But for the Romans, especially elites, it has that really

significant element of who you invite says something about their status.

And remember, the Romans have this patron client system.

So if you're a grand man in particular, but you can be a female patron,

then that means you have a series of clients, and that's not people that you serve.

It's people who come and do your bidding. Right, they're

lower down the social scale. And if they get invited to dinner, then that's a big day for them, right? And that's a way

that you might pay them back for voting for you or going out and hustling somewhere for you and just turning up and being around their door to make them look important.

...