THE SATYRICON OF
Gaius Petronius, Arbiter to Nero

Petronius' bawdy masterpiece is considered by some to be an early form of the novel. Petronius had the notable job of advising Roman emperor Nero on style and fashion. After an unfortunate falling-out with Nero, Petronius was forced to commit suicide. Belated revenge came in the form of his will, which when read aloud in the Roman Forum, viciously mocked the mostly-mad emperor.

"The Satyricon" is a "satire," intended to provoke laughter as well as disgust or censure. It has given our modern society much of the picture it has of Roman life beyond ancient monuments and Imperial inscriptions. A thinly-veiled exaggeration of reality, "The Satyricon" makes the days of doomed Herculaneum and Pompeii real -- and paints unforgettable pictures of Roman excess, including Trimalchio's famous feast.

Satyricon is a Latin work of fiction in a mixture of prose and poetry (prosimetrum). It is believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius. As with the Metamorphoses of Apuleius, classical scholars often describe it as a "Roman novel," without necessarily implying continuity with the modern literary form. The surviving portions of the text detail the misadventures of the narrator, Encolpius, and his lover, a handsome sixteen-year-old boy named Giton. Throughout the novel, Encolpius has a hard time keeping his lover faithful to him as he is constantly being enticed away by others. Encolpius's friend Ascyltus (who seems to have previously been in a relationship with Encolpius) is another major character.