Petronius

Gaius Petronius Arbiter (AKA Titus Petronius Niger) was a Roman writer during the Neronian era. Born of a noble family he was expected to go into politics and became a governor of a province in Asia and a member of the consul in Rome. His real passion however, was partying among a group of pleasure seekers known as "men who turn night into day" and writing about Roman society. After serving on consul he was invted by Emperor Nero to be an advisor, which landed him the role as "director of elegance" (or arbiter elegantiae). Unfortunately this made people jealous and the commander of the Praetorian Guard accused him of being involved in a plan to murder the Emperor and arrested Petronius. Being the rebel that he was, Petronius decided to not wait for his trial and execution, but instead wrote a letter to the Emperor about his (Nero's) orgies and affairs, and then cut his wrists. He convinced the guards to let him go since he was already dying, and he spent the day hosting a luxurious banquet while slowly bleeding to death.

He is most famously known for his work Satyricon, a satirical comic novel where he mocked former slaves. In one of the more famous scenes "the Banquet of Trimalchio" he mocks the character Trimalchio (a former slave who is said to mirror Nero) by having him throw a lavish dinner party. At this party he serves ridiculous courses including a hog stuffed with sausages and a boiled calf wearing a helmet, served by slaves singing and dancing slaves and reciting his own nonsense poetry, ending the night with an elaborate play of his funeral complete with music and crying guests.



//"...her body gleaming in the slow shifting from one to another of such formally erotic attitudes and gestures as a Beardsley of the time of// //Petronius might have drawn"// (LIA 260).