The Satyricon (Illustrated Edition‪)‬

Gaius Petronius Arbiter (ca. 27–66 AD) was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. He served as consul in the year 62. His relationship to Nero was apparently akin to that of a fashion advisor. Tacitus gives this account of Petronius in his historical work the Annals:

“He spent his days in sleep, his nights in attending to his official duties or in amusement, that by his dissolute life he had become as famous as other men by a life of energy, and that he was regarded as no ordinary profligate, but as an accomplished voluptuary. His reckless freedom of speech, being regarded as frankness, procured him popularity. Yet during his provincial government, and later when he held the office of consul, he had shown vigor and capacity for affairs. Afterwards returning to his life of vicious indulgence, he became one of the chosen circle of Nero’s intimates, and was looked upon as an absolute authority on questions of taste (elegantiae arbiter) in connection with the science of luxurious living.”

Petronius’ flair belied his original writing abilities, which were revolutionary during the Roman Empire. He’s best known today for The Satyricon, a biting satire. In The Satyricon, characters and their development, which had always been at the heart of ancient literature, took a backseat to literary devices such as allusions and allegories. 

Though it is a satire, Petronius was not pushing for reform so much as writing simply to entertain and be artistic. The Satyricon satirizes nearly everything in Roman society during the time period, and it is speculated that Petronius’ depiction of Trimalchio mirrors that of Nero. Although we never know the author's own opinion, we see the opinions of the characters in the story and how Encolpius criticizes Trimalchio.

This edition of The Satyricon is specially formatted with a Table of Contents and includes dozens of images of the characters and ancient Romans.