The Satyricon — Volume 02: Dinner of Trimalchio

The narrator and his companions arrive at the ostentatious villa of Trimalchio, a newly‑rich freedman whose taste for spectacle knows no bounds. From a bald old man tossing a green ball to eunuchs juggling chamber‑pots, the scene is a riot of absurd games that set a tone of lavish comedy and social satire.

Inside, the banquet preparations unfold with equal extravagance. Trimalchio is bathed in fragrant oils, attended by masseurs who sip wine as if offering libations to his very spirit. He is then wrapped in scarlet cloth, lifted onto a litter, and escorted past a portico where golden cages, warning signs, and mythic frescoes declare his ambition and excess.

The dining hall looms ahead, its walls alive with painted epics, gladiatorial scenes, and tiny shrines to household gods. The air hums with anticipation as the guests prepare to partake in a feast that promises both sumptuous taste and the kind of witty, rib‑tickling chaos that defines Trimalchio’s world.