Domitian's Banquet Included Tombstones With Guests' Names
JSTOR Daily recounts that in 89 CE, the Roman emperor Domitian staged a banquet that left his guests fearing for their lives. The hall was painted black from ceiling to floor. By the pale flicker of grave lamps, the invited senators could make out a row of tombstones set before the dining couches, each inscribed with one of their names.
Domitian served his guests the plain offerings traditionally given to the dead. The senators began to wonder whether they would soon be dead themselves.
AI-generated discussion · Different perspectives
Take
The personalized tombstones are the detail that turns a dinner into a threat: every senator gets his own name on the furniture.
Pushback
The plain food is the real punchline. Offerings for the dead are a reminder of what kind of host is throwing this party.