Deipnosophistae: The Ancient Greek Treatise on Philosophy, Food, and Culture

Deipnosophistae by Athenaeus is simply a publication astir well-educated ancient Greek and Roman men discussing important and trivial issues astatine the meal table. Photo of a banquet country painted connected a krater by Nikias. Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen Wikipedia CC BY 2.5

Deipnosophistae is a enactment by Athenaeus, written astir 200 CE, astir well-read radical philosophizing astatine the meal array and enjoying bully nutrient and drink.

The rubric is simply a operation of 2 words: Deipnos (Δείπνος) meaning Dinner and Sophists (Σοφιστές) meaning teachers of doctrine and rhetoric. The 15-part publication Δειπνοσοφιστές was written by Athenaeus of Naucratis, an past Greek rhetorician and grammarian surviving successful the Greek seaside metropolis Naucratis successful Egypt.

Deipnosophistae is written successful the benignant of the Socratic dialogues. It is astir well-educated men sitting astatine the meal array discussing philosophical ideas, humanities events, politics,  bully nutrient and drink, and beingness successful general.

In the book, the big of the banquet is the affluent student Publius Livius Larensius and the attendants are grammarians, lexicographers, instrumentality practitioners, musicians and others. Athenaeus gives the relationship of the discussions to his person Timocrates.

Some of the names mentioned successful the discussions are real, specified arsenic the names of Plutarch, Galen, Democritus and others. The discussions of the erudite meal attendants springiness the scholar a glimpse of past Greek and Roman life, literature, philosophy, food, manners and anecdotes that different would person been unknown.

In imitation of Plato’s writings, Athenaeus’ relationship of the things discussed begins this way: “Were you, Athenaeus, contiguous successful idiosyncratic astatine that noble assembly of men present known arsenic Deipnosophistae, which has been truthful overmuch talked of astir the town? Or was the relationship you gave to your friends derived from idiosyncratic else?” “I was determination myself, Timocrates.” “Will you not, then, consent to fto america besides stock successful that noble speech you had implicit your cups?”

Naucratis: A halfway of sophistic culture

Athenaeus was a autochthonal of Naucratis, the oldest Greek metropolis established successful Egypt. Located connected the Canopic subdivision of the Nile, to the East of Alexandria, it was founded by settlers from Miletus astir 620 BCE. Pharaoh Amasis II (r. 570-526 BCE) gave Naucratis peculiar status, allowing the metropolis to person its ain laws. Naucratis was a large trading post, making it a affluent metropolis and, successful the imperial period, a halfway of sophistic culture.

It was 1 of the much affluent Greek cities of Ptolemaic Egypt, unneurotic with Alexandria and Ptolemais. But aft the instauration of Alexandria, Naucratis mislaid is supremacy successful trade. However, it contributed to the taste maturation of Alexandria with by contributing a fig of scholars: these see the historians Philistus and Charon, authors of Egyptian beingness similar Lyceas and Dinon, and the writer Timodemus. In the 3rd period BCE, Apollonius of Rhodes had written a Foundation of Naucratis, putting the metropolis successful the taste abstraction of Hellenism. Athenaeus has preserved a fragment of that text, which helium attributes to Apollonius of Rhodes “or of Naucratis,” an denotation of the information that it was important for a Greek metropolis to assertion arsenic its ain the authors who were calved connected its soil.

In the imperial period the metropolis was an important halfway of sophistic culture, whose philosophizing representatives occasionally emigrated to Athens. Proclus of Naucratis, the maestro of Philostratus, had moved to Athens. Proclus owned a backstage room which helium shared with his students. Other sophists who were natives of Naucratis were Apollonius, Ptolemy and Pollux. The second was the writer of the Onomasticon (Ὀνομαστικόν), a Greek dictionary of Attic synonyms and phrases successful 10 books. Pollux was besides the teacher of young Commodus, the aboriginal Roman emperor.

Athenaeus successful Rome

Athenaeus was typical of that intelligence situation helium writes astir successful Deipnosophistae. He was a modern of Pollux and was besides funny successful lexicography. Like Pollux, Athenaeus excessively moved to Rome and stayed there. Once successful Rome, helium entered the ellipse of a affluent Roman of equestrian rank, Larensius, the big of the banquets and symposia staged successful the Deipnosophistae.

Larensius was a well-known quality successful Roman nine successful a chiefly Greek intelligence circle, wrong which, however, determination is besides nary deficiency of Roman large names. In this way,  Deipnosophistae reflects a metropolis that attracts men of letters and sophists of Greek origin. The hospitality of Larensius creates a lukewarm situation successful which cultured Romans and Greeks conscionable and speech their cognition of things important and little important.

A bully illustration of Larensius hospitality and generosity and Athenaeus appreciation of the big is successful Book 8, Part 1, successful which Athenaeus tells Timocrates of the beauties of Spain utilizing arsenic his notation the publication Histories by Polybius of Megalopolis:

My bully person Timocrates: Discussing the wealthiness of Lusitania, which is simply a state successful Iberia, present called by the Romans Spain, Polybius of Megalopolis, successful the thirty-fourth publication of his Histories, says​ that successful that region, due to the fact that of the temperate prime of the air, animals and quality beings alike are precise prolific, and the fruits of the state ne'er fail. “For the roses successful that country, the wall-flowers, the asparagus shoots, and akin plants permission disconnected bearing not much than 3 months, portion sea-food, successful constituent of abundance, excellence, and beauty, acold exceeds that recovered successful our sea. The Sicilian medimnos​ (measure) of barley costs lone a shilling, of wheat, eighteen-pence, Alexandrian currency. Wine costs a shilling for 10 gallons, a kid of mean size, twopence, arsenic besides a hare. The terms of lambs is six oregon 8 pence, a abdominous pig weighing a 100 pounds is 5 shillings, a sheep two; sixty pounds of figs whitethorn beryllium bought for sixpence, a calf for 5 shillings, a yoke ox for ten. The nutrient of chaotic animals was hardly deemed to beryllium worthy immoderate price; connected the contrary, they commercialized it disconnected arsenic a bonus for goodwill.”

And close aft the punctuation from the book, Athenaeus adds the praise for big Larensius arsenic a mode of thanking him for the hospitality:  “Likewise to america the noble Larensius turns Rome into Lusitania connected each occasion, filling america regular with each kinds of bully things, and exerting himself pleasurably and generously for our benefit, though we bring thing from location but dissertations.”

Deipnosophistae books

Deipnosphistae by Athenaeus is comprised of 15 books that incorporate the pursuing subjects of speech and philosophizing:

Book 1: Introduction: Food successful Homer; Banquets and entertainments successful Homer; Types of                  wine.

Book 2: Wine and water; Fruit and nuts; Salads.

Book 3: Fruit, Shellfish; Meat; Seafood; Types of bread; Salt fish.

Book 4: Macedonian and Greek dinners; Spartan and Cretan dinners; Dinners of other                    nations; Extravagance and prodigality; Musical instruments.

Book 5: Symposia successful Homer, Royal Processions; Enormous ships; Degenerate                                  philosophers; Faults of philosophers.

Book 6: Fishmongers; Silver and gold; Parasites; Flatterers; Slaves.

Book 7: Pleasure lovers; Catalogue of fish; Fish (continued).

Book 8: Stories astir fish; Fish eaters and epicures; Anecdotes astir Stratonicus;                        Types of meat; Festivals and feasts.

Book 9: Meat and vegetables; Erudite cooks; Edible birds; Types of Meat; Beautiful cooks;              washing of hands.

Book 10: Gluttons; Toasts; Drunkenness; Famous drinkers; Drunken behavior; Riddles.

Book 11: Cups and bowls; Intro and A-D; Cups and bowls E-K; Cups and bowls L-P; Cups                  and bowls; Malignity of Plato.

Book 12: Luxury of states; Luxury of individuals; Hedonism and obesity.

Book 13: Women and love; Prostitutes and courtesans; Mistresses of celebrated men; Love of                boys.

Book 14: Entertainers and musicians; Dance; Musical instruments; Desserts and cakes;                    Fruit; Fowls; Cooks.

Book 15: Kottabos; Garlands; Perfumes and unguents; Drinking songs and parodies.

An encyclopedia of its time

The modern scholar mightiness beryllium perplexed by Athenaeus’ wide assortment of topics discussed and the mode the guests philosophize connected superior issues, past travel these discussions with proposal connected cups utilized for vino successful a ceremonial dinner, oregon however the food of the Mediterranean tin beryllium discussed successful the aforesaid publication arsenic a philosophical contemplation connected hedonism.

However, successful the archetypal publication of Deipnosophistae the past Greek sophist explains the intent of his publication speaking, successful the 3rd person:

“Athenaeus is the begetter of this book, which helium addresses to Timocrates. The Sophist astatine Dinner is its title, and the taxable is simply a banquet fixed by a affluent Roman named Larensius, who has summoned arsenic guests the men of his clip astir learned successful their respective branches of knowledge. Not 1 of their fantabulous sayings has Athenaeus failed to mention. For helium has contrived to bring into his publication an relationship of fishes, their uses and names with their derivations; besides vegetables of each sorts and animals of each description; historians, poets, philosophers, philharmonic instruments, innumerable kinds of jests; helium has besides described drinking-cups successful each their variety, the wealthiness of kings, the size of ships, and different matters truthful galore that I could not easy notation them all; for the time would neglect maine if I undertook to enumerate them benignant by kind. In short, the program of the sermon reflects the affluent bounty of a feast, and the statement of the publication the courses of the dinner. Such is the delightful feast of crushed which this fantastic steward, Athenaeus, introduces, and then, surpassing adjacent himself, similar the Athenian orators, helium is truthful carried distant by the ardor of his eloquence that passes connected by leaps and bounds to the further portions of his book.”

For radical surviving successful the 2nd century, Deipnosophistae is similar an encyclopedia oregon an almanac,  written by philosophers, historians, lexicographers, authors and well-versed individuals philosophizing astir things of significance, or, occasionally, subjects that are trivial but entertaining. A large postulation of dissertations, arsenic Athenaeus himself says.