The Satyricon

The Satyricon, written in Latin, is a Menippean satire that combines prose and verse to depict the lives of three young men—Encolpius, Ascyltos, and Giton—as they engage in various outlandish and often perverse adventures in southern Italy during the mid-1st century AD. The novel is renowned for its vivid portrayal of everyday Roman life, exposing the vulgarity and pretentiousness of the wealthy.

It includes the famous 'Cena Trimalchionis' (Dinner of Trimalchio), which satirizes the excesses and pretensions of the Roman elite.

The work is considered one of the gems of Western literature and a precursor to the modern novel form.