The Roman community at table during the Principate / John F. Donahue.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction to the new edition -- Introduction -- The Roman feast : an overview -- The development of public feasting : from Greece to Rome -- Public feasting in Rome : the Principate -- Banquets and benefactors in the Roman West -- Banquets and beneficiaries in the Roman West -- Conclusion -- Appendixes :-- 1. Decurions as banquet sponsors -- 2. Equestrians as banquet sponsors -- 3. Augustales as banquet sponsors -- 4. Flamines, sacerdotes, and pontifices as banquet sponsors -- 5. Women as banquet sponsors -- Collection of inscriptions -- Addendum to the collection of inscriptions.

"Author John F. Donahue ranges from the extravagant banquets of the emperors to the feasts of the cities and towns of the Western Empire during the first four centuries of the Common Era. Taking as a starting point the development of feasting in ancient Greece then Rome, the study considers the kinds of foods offered at feasts, the social identities of benefactors and beneficiaries, the importance of venue, and a discussion of the cost and frequency of such banquets. This study is unique in that it relies on over three hundred Latin honorary inscriptions to recreate the ancient Roman feast"--Provided by publisher.