Etiquette and a Roman Banquet

Those glorious days might be revived at our own time, but we want a Lucullus. Let us suppose some man known to be enormously rich desirous of celebrating a great political or financial event, and of giving on the occasion a memorable festival without regard to expense. Let us suppose that he engages the services of every art to adorn the place of the festival in every detail; that he gives orders that recourse be had to every means to procure the rarest provisions and the noblest wines of the most famed cellers … – Lucius Licinius Lucullus (57/56 BC) was an optimas politician of the late Roman Republic. 

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All the furniture requisite for the banquet was of costly material or exquisite workmanship. The number of courses was gradually increased till it excecded twenty, and after each course everything which had served for the previous course was removed and fresh supplied. Slaves were especially appointed to each convivial function, and those functions were most minutely defined. The most delicious perfumes - embalmed the banquet-hall. A master of the ceremonies announced the merits of the dishes most worthy of special attention – the claims they possessed to this sort of ovation; finally nothing was omitted of a nature to sharpen the appetite, keep alive the attention, and prolong enjoyment. 

This luxury had also its follies and absurdities. Such were those banquets where the fishes and birds served counted by thousands, and those dishes which had no other merit than that of having cost an enormous price, such as that dish which consisted of the brains of 600 ostriches, and that other of the tongues of 5,003 birds, all of which had been taught to speak. After the above the enormous sums spent by Lucullus at his banquet and the costs of the feasts he gave in the hall of Apollo will be readily understood. At these feasts, the etiquette was to exhaust every known means to flatter the sensuality of the guests.

Those glorious days might be revived at our own time, but we want a Lucullus. Let us suppose some man known to be enormously rich desirous of celebrating a great political or financial event, and of giving on the occasion a memorable festival without regard to expense. Let us suppose that he engages the services of every art to adorn the place of the festival in every detail; that he gives orders that recourse be had to every means to procure the rarest provisions and the noblest wines of the most famed cellers; that he has a troupe of the first actors of the day to perform for the amusement of his guests; that the banquet be enlivered by vocal and instrumental music performed by the first artistes of the day; that, as an entr'acte between dinner and coffee, a ballet performed by the prettiest dancers, shall enliven his guests; that the evening shall close with a ball, at which two hundred women, selected among the most beautiful, and four hundred elegant dancers, shall attend; that the buffet be provided with the most excellent hot and cold beverages, fresh and iced; that at midnight a wisely selected collation shall imbue new life into all; that the servants be handsome and well-dressed, the illumination perfect, and, moreover, that the Amphitryon should have arranged for every guest to be sent for and conveyed home without discomfort– the bill on the following day might startle even the cashier of Lucullus. – The New York Times, June 21, 1859

Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia