The history of dining is a story that cannot be told without archaeology. Surviving texts describe the opulent banquets of Rome’s wealthy elite but give little attention to the simpler, more intimate social gatherings of domestic invitation dinners. The lower classes, in particular, are largely ignored by literary sources. We can, however, find the voices of the underprivileged by turning to the material detritus of ancient cultures that reflects their social history. Dining at the End of Antiquity brings together the material culture and literary traditions of Romans at the table to reimagine dining culture as an integral part of Roman social order. Through a careful analysis of the tools and equipment of dining, Nicholas Hudson uncovers significant changes to the way different classes came together to share food and wine between the fourth and sixth centuries. Reconstructing the practices of Roman dining culture, Hudson explores the depths of new social distances between the powerful and the dependent at the end of antiquity.

About the Author

Nicholas Hudson is Professor of Ancient Art and Archaeology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and a researcher of Roman pottery in the Eastern Mediterranean, where he is currently principal investigator of Roman pottery at the Athenian Agora.

Reviews

"In this engaging and highly readable book, Nicholas Hudson weaves together literary and material evidence for dining in the Roman world from the Principate to the Dominate. Through careful attention to all evidence, he marks how dining practices evolved and transformed with shifting social goals of the Empire. He brings new insights to the form of Late Antique Roman dining by reconstructing the ancient atmosphere of dining events of various types—a truly innovative approach to understanding the experience of the past." —Kathleen M. Lynch, author of The Symposium in Context: Pottery from a Late Archaic House near the Athenian Agora

"House parties and shared meals get welcome scrutiny in this stimulating exploration of the social worlds of Late Antiquity. Drawing on classical texts and comparative research, Hudson’s deft synthesis of theory, history, and material culture leads to fresh insights into daily life in a transformative age." —Marcus Rautman, Professor Emeritus of Art History and Archaeology, University of Missouri

"Hudson illuminates small group dining—its objects, furniture, spaces, atmospheres—and how it changed in Late Antiquity. His innovative study of tableware spotlights human behavior, complementing an analysis of texts, architecture, and images. Who dined with whom, and how, mattered. This book is a model of compelling social history through material culture." —Nathan Arrington, Professor of Classical Archaeology at Princeton University and author of Athens at the Margins: Pottery and People in the Early Mediterranean World