Saturnalia

The Saturnalia, written by Macrobius in the early fifth century CE, is a work that consists of an account of discussions held at the house of Vettius Agorius Praetextatus during the holiday of the Saturnalia.

It is cast in the form of a dialogue and treats subjects as diverse as the divinity of the Sun, the quirks of human digestion, and the mastery of Virgil in diction, rhetoric, philosophy, and religion.

The work is a treasure trove of otherwise unattested Roman lore and has been prized since the Renaissance for its rich content and historical significance.