Title: Archestratos of Gela : Greek culture and cuisine in the fourth century BCE : text, translation, and commentary /
Authors: Archestratus,; Olson, S. Douglas; Sens, Alexander.
Publisher: Oxford University Press,
Year: 2000
Subjects: Dinners and dining Mediterranean Region Poetry.; Epic poetry, Greek Translations into English.; Food habits Mediterranean Region Poetry.; Mock-heroic literature.; Gastronomy Poetry; Mock-heroic literature, Greek.
Abstract: "Archestratos of Gela was the author of a mock-epic poem, most likely entitled the Hedupatheia or Life of Luxury, that presented itself as a gastronomic tour of the Mediterranean world. Written sometime in the first two-thirds of the fourth century BCE, the Hedupatheia was widely read in the late classical and early Hellenistic periods and was translated into Latin by Ennius, through whom it influenced the work of later Roman poets including Horace. It survives today in fragments totalling about 330 lines. The Hedupatheia is a fundamental source for our understanding not only of fourth-century literature but also of the significance of food and dining and the reception of epic poetry in late classical society.