Dining in Ancient Greece and Rome by Francine Segan "Pleasure is the beginning and the end of living happily." Epicurus, 341-270 BC The social exchanges that occur over food and wine were as important to the ancients as to us today. Important in creating and maintaining friendships and important in gaining an understanding of others through the exchange of ideas. As Plutarch, the first century historian, observes, "A guest comes to share not only meat, wine, and dessert, but conversation, fun, and the amiability that leads to friendship." Plutarch goes on to add, what all of us who have spent any time lingering over wine with friends intuitively know, "drinking together does give men a chance to get some understanding of each other." Dinner in antiquity was almost always a social affair shared with a few close friends at someone's home. Friendships, which Cicero said, "unites human hearts", were strengthened over shared meals. The ancients considered the ideal number of guests for a dinner party to range from three, for the number of Graces, to nine, for the number of Muses. However, for weddings and other important events upwards of 100 guests might be invited. The ideal number of guests was cause for much debate in antiquity. Some hosts speculated that small numbers of guests were preferable to avoid the embarrassment of running out space or wine and food. Others, such as Plutarch maintained, "If both space and the provisions are ample, we must still avoid great numbers, because they in themselves interfere with sociability and conversation." For informal, small dinner parties, the ancient Greek or Roman host extended a verbal invitation, usually during a workout at the public baths. For larger or more formal events, messengers delivered hand-written invitations to guests. Several, written on papyrus, were discovered at the Alexandria library in Egypt. One wedding invitation from the third century AD reads, " Theon son of Origenes invites you to the wedding of his sister tomorrow, Tubi 9, at the 8th hour." My favorite, also from the third century, states, "Greeting, my lady Serenia, from Petosiris. Make every effort, dear lady, to come out on the 20th, the birthday festival of the god, and let me know whether you are coming by boat or by donkey, in order that we may send for you. Take care not to forget, dear lady. I pray for your lasting health." Interestingly in antiquity the place of honor varied from country to country. For some it was the head of the table and for others the central section. According to the first century historian, Plutarch, the seat of honor is for "the Persians the most central place, occupied by the king; the Greeks the first place; the Romans the last place on the middle couch." The ancients debated about whether the host should assign seats or not. Plutarch, the first century historian, among others, discussed the philosophical merits of "whether the host should arrange the placing of his guests or leave it to the guests themselves." Then, just as now, both assigning seats, and not, had merit. Some ancients argued that seats should be assigned to give due respect to a guest's age and rank. They considered it rude not to assign persons of special status a place of honor or not seat him near other important guests. Others, also in favor of assigning seats, felt the decision should be based on who will get along rather than on rank. "For it is not prestige, but pleasure which must determine the placing of guests; it is not the rank of each which must be considered, but the affinity and suitability of each to each." However, still others argued that the guests should decide for themselves where and with whom they are most comfortable sitting. Dining rooms in ancient Rome were richly decorated with frescos, mosaics, and wall hangings. The floor was made festive with scattered flower petals. Servants in antiquity ceremoniously washed guest's hands and offered them a drink as they entered the host's home. Homer mentions this practice as far back as 700 BC, "Heralds brought the water at once and rinsed their hands, and the young men brimmed the mixing bowls with wine and tipping first drops for the gods in ever cup they poured full rounds for all." "The wine urges me on, the bewitching wine, which sets even a wise man to singing and to laughing gently and rouses him up to dance and brings forth words which were better unspoken." Homer, The Odyssey In antiquity, wine was drunk diluted and it was up to the hosts discretion to determine the ratio of water to wine, the size of the wine cups, and how many rounds of wine would be served -- the norm being a 50-50 ratio with 3 rounds. Socrates, a frequent guest at symposia, was noted as being in favor of "small cups sprinkled frequently, so that we will be seduced into reaching a state of amusement, instead of being forced by the wine into drunkenness." Apparently however drunkenness was often a consequence, as there are many ancient remedies for hangovers. Wine grapes have been cultivated in the Mediterranean since antiquity. "Do not invite either too talkative or too silent guests, since eloquence is appropriate to the Forum and the courts, and silence to the bedroom, but neither to a dinner." Marcus Varro, 116-27 BC The ancients appreciated good conversationalists and offered advice on how to improve one's skills. Plutarch, writing in the first century, suggests that asking questions on a topic someone knows well will spark interesting conversation, "Thus travelers and sailors are very glad to be questioned about a far-away place and a foreign sea and about the customs and laws of alien men." Varro, who wrote a book of humorous essays on vice, advised that conversation should be "diverting and cheerful" and we should "talk about matters which relate to the common experience of life." Jokes and story telling were then, just as now, a lively part of dinner conversation and certain guests were invited to dinner because of their wit. Said one guest at Xenophon's banquet, "The reason why I got invitations to dinner was that I might stir up laughter among the guests and make them merry." Advice on not only how to tell a good joke but also on how to avoid inadvertently offending a fellow guest was offered by Plato and others. Plato contends that to "joke with grace and good taste is a task for the well-educated man." Two thousand years ago, Plutarch counseled that "the man who cannot engage in joking at a suitable time, discreetly and skillfully, must avoid jokes altogether" and that humor should be "casual and spontaneous, not brought in form a distance like previously prepared entertainment. " I loved reading about the ancient's dinner conversations. Plutarch mentions dinner conversations ranging from such far-flung topics as "whether the hen or the egg came first" and "whether the sea is richer in delicacies than the land." Another topic weighed the health merits of eating a wide variety of foods. For Plutarch: "variety is more agreeable, and that the more agreeable is the more appetizing, and the more appetizing is the more healthful." For the ancients, great friends and good conversation deserved wonderful food. The ancient Greeks and Romans served guests either individual plated portions, restaurant style, or from communal platters, what we call family style. The merit of each was fodder for philosophical discussion. Plutarch believed that individual portions "kills sociability" as it reduces the chance for conversation that comes with passing food.
	©2006 Francine Segan. All rights reserved.