Detail from the Lycurgus cup (Wikimedia Commons)

Cage Cups, The Spectacular Deluxe Glasses Of Ancient Rome

Ancient Romans were masters in all things splendid

When you think about a convivium (the swanky Roman dinner party) you may imagine dissolute senators, draped in red togas, reclining on sumptuous couches with a cup of wine in their hands.

While the image might not be entirely correct, it is embedded in popular culture and there’s at least some truth to it. Lavish, multiple-course meals of roast peacocks, lobsters and raw oysters (and, occasionally, sow’s udders and dormouse) were not exactly common, but they were a thing.

Of course, only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford such extravagant banquets. Guests not only had to be fed exorbitantly expensive, exotic dishes, but they also needed to be entertained by singers, acrobats, and dancers — sometimes even gladiatorial fights and trained animals.

Roman fresco with a banquet scene. From the ‘Casa dei Casti Amanti’ in Pompeii (Wikimedia Commons)

Those exclusive events were designed to put the host’s wealth, status, and sophistication on display so fancy food, hoofers and the occasional pet lion were obviously not enough.