Modern And Modern Popular Media - 1419 Words

Ancient and modern popular media have misled audiences from the truth of the typical diet of lower strata of Roman society. Modern movies and books and even ancient satire, which was a popular culture medium of their day, all put forth a stereotype of the decadent and rich citizens of Imperial Rome as contrasted with the humble fare of the poor Romans. The modern media, possibly influenced by the ancient satire and the fact that much of our information about the Roman diet comes from what we know about the upper strata of Roman society and how they lived, plays into stereotypes of the Romans of the Imperial Period stuffing themselves on dormice and grapes while their society’s servants went hungry. When the critical aspect of satire is†¦show more content†¦It is a common belief that the Romans who were not wealthy enough to enjoy lavish banquets were forced to eat a dreary and unhealthy diet of pulses and porridges. Modern popular media, such as television shows and m ovies, have perpetuated this belief. In the episode â€Å"The Fires of Pompeii† of the BBC television series Doctor Who, the character Caecilius, depicted as one of the wealthiest inhabitants of Pompeii, requests of his slave, â€Å"oh Rombus, I’m a little bit peckish. Get me some ants in honey, there’s a good man. Ooh, maybe a dormouse!† Caecilius is shown to be very wealthy by the size and beauty of his house, and the fact that he is in the act of preparing to meet an important business man who has come all the way from Rome. This request of his slave connects the dormouse to wealthy Romans. Also, his uncertainty of whether he wants the dormouse or not creates the sense that the dormouse is a delicacy, as if he, as one of the richest in Pompeii, can hardly afford such a treat. From archeological evidence, it has been recently revealed that the dormouse was not exclusive to those of the highest strata of Roman society.