Changing Places: The Archaeology of the Roman Convivium

Using the evidence of dining assemblages from archaeological deposits at twelve locations in the Roman world, ranging in date from the early imperial era to the early 7th c. CE, the author helps clarify our understanding of Roman dining customs. Previous studies of Roman dining habits have relied primarily on literary and artistic sources for their interpretation. The present article supplements such information with concrete factual evidence that more closely reflects the reality of everyday dining experience in the Roman world. There is noted a gradual overall shift from individual service at the convivium to “shared service” dining, in the span from early imperial times to late antiquity. Among mosaic pavements cited to illustrate particular aspects of Roman meal service are the Mosaic of the Buffet Supper from Antioch of early 3rd-c. date, and an often-reproduced, fragmentary mosaic with a festive banqueting scene from late 4th-c. Carthage (fig. 4-6).