Publicly Luxurious

Abstract

The funerary banquet, or Totenmahl, was a popular iconographic theme on tombstones along the northern border regions of the Roman Empire, where it was chiefly used by and for men from military communities. In Roman Britain, however, it was a type of scene that was employed in the commemoration of women too. They were depicted reclining, either alone or as part of a family group, in the luxurious setting of a Roman banquet. This setting included servants, elegant furniture and wine cups, as well as a special dinner-costume known as the synthesis. This paper explores the significance of the iconography of the funerary banquet and dinner-dress in the public commemoration of women in Roman Britain, zooming in on the adoption of, and familiarity with, Roman style dining practices in the north-western provinces, the inclusivity of women in these practices and the relationship between the commemorative image of the banqueteers and their lived reality.