The Satyricon

The author of The Satyricon is still not conclusively known, but most scholars believe that the text was written by a man named Gaius Petronius Arbiter, who lived from 27 to 66 CE. Assuming this, the biography of Petronius can provide some additional insights into the text. Several important Roman writers and historians such as Tacitus, Plutarch, and Pliny the Elder refer to Petronius, providing some hints about his life. Petronius seems to have had a successful political career and eventually ended up living as a wealthy courtier and personal advisor to the Emperor Nero (who reigned from 54 to 68 CE). This status as a man who lived amongst the elite and saw their lavish lifestyles firsthand could explain why Petronius satirizes obsessions with wealth and luxury in his novel.

Importantly, Petronius also seems to have been interested in questions of taste and elegance; in a number of sources, he is referred to as holding a court position as the elegantiae arbiter, which can be translated as the “judge of elegance” or the “judge of good taste.” This biographical detail is revealing because throughout his novel, Petronius usually mocks characters who are greedy and tacky, not simply individuals who possess wealth.