Roman feast in a fresco from Pompeii
A common image of social life in ancient Rome is of patricians reclining on their sides in the triclinium (dining room), wine and food during long feasts. The popular imagination is that all Romans ate this way—rich and poor alike, on every occasion. But this is a myth.
In ancient homes, people did indeed eat during feasts (convivium) lying down, but this was reserved exclusively for the elite. Descriptions of such feasts can be found, among others, in Pliny the Younger and Petronius (e.g. in the Satyricon).
Additionally, in Roman homes, apart from exclusive houses, there is a predominant lack of triclinium – most middle and lower class homes did not have the appropriate space or equipment for this form of eating meals. Studies of houses in Pompeii show that the so-called “dining rooms” were often small and adapted rather for a sedentary meal.
Moreover, preserved Roman mosaics and frescoes, e.g. from Pompeii and Herculaneum, show mixed scenes: people feasting lying down, but also people sitting at tables.
