Many of the Colloquia describe two lunches: the lunch of the schoolboy in the first section (see the ends of passages 2.2 and 2.7 above) and that of an adult in the second. The child's lunch is fairly simple, but the adult's can be elaborate. And while the child actually consumes his lunch, the adult lunch scenes never describe the eating of the meal, only the preparations for it. The reason is probably that the phrases and vocabulary needed for eating lunch are largely the same as those needed for eating dinner, which are provided in the dinner scenes (see passages 9.2–9.5), and the writer did not want to duplicate this material.

Further Reading

For more information on Roman meals, see the works listed in the introduction to chapter 9; for commentary on the passages below see Dickey (2012–15).

Preparing For A Guest

This dialogue (Colloquia Monacensia–Einsidlensia 7a–9o) reveals the mechanics of having a guest to lunch, from the initial invitation to the moment the guest appears.

The ancient Colloquia, a set of elementary language-learning materials from the Roman empire, contain fascinating information on many aspects of daily life in the Roman world, but they have long been neglected because until recently they had neither a modern edition nor a translation into any modern language. Most classicists have never heard of them, as indeed I had not until a few years ago. But as soon as I started working on these texts I fell in love with them; I felt they had tremendous potential and wanted everyone to be able to use them, a desire that led to production of a full scholarly edition of the Colloquia with translation and detailed commentary (Dickey 2012–15). That edition contains the arguments for the editorial and interpretive decisions underpinning the work presented here.

This book, by contrast, aims simply to present the Colloquia to nonspecialist readers, people who would like to know what these texts tell us about ordinary life in the Roman empire and who are prepared to take my restoration and translation of the text on trust. Readers should be aware that alternative interpretations are often possible; note in particular that all words in italics are editorial additions, as are all speaker designations.

Because the Colloquia provide so much interesting information about daily life during the Roman empire, modern teachers may wish to use them as a cultural textbook, rather as ancient teachers did. For this purpose the Colloquia are only partly suitable, since many topics that we might expect to find in a well-rounded textbook on Roman civilisation are not mentioned in the Colloquia: love, marriage, agriculture, the army, and death, for example. But within their limitations, that is when combined with other sources that cover different topics, the Colloquia offer an excellent introduction to daily life during the empire. Therefore in designing this book I have tried to keep in mind both the needs of readers who would like to use the book as a general introduction to those aspects of Roman culture that the Colloquia illuminate and readers whose main goal is to understand the Colloquia themselves.

Context for the Colloquia extracts presented here, therefore, is provided not only by the introductions to each passage and accompanying illustrations, but also by two additional chapters.

Financial transactions are today, and were in antiquity, something learners of a foreign language are concerned to get right, for mistakes in this area can cause more trouble than most other kinds of errors. The Western writers of the Colloquia were not very concerned with this fact: their audience of children was learning Greek as the language of literature and culture rather than for practical purposes. The Eastern writers, on the other hand, faced an audience with practical needs and tried to cater to those needs – and not all their audience consisted of future lawyers. A number of banking and shopping scenes were therefore added in the East.

The Roman world had a well-developed banking system, but the banks lacked formal regulation and controls. In addition to established banks, individuals could, and often did, make loans to one another. These loans could cause several kinds of problem: a lender might find it difficult to get the borrower to repay the loan, and a ‘borrower’ might be pursued for money not actually owed. The Colloquia include one scene of borrowing money, one of returning money, and two of unsuccessful attempts to get money returned; this ratio may not be far distant from reality.

The Colloquia also include several shopping scenes; an expedition to buy clothing is given here, and food shopping is depicted in passage 7.2.

Further reading

For further information see Jones (2006, an engaging study of a small group of bankers and their work), von Reden (2010 and 2012, overviews of Roman finance), Holleran (2012, on shopping), Harris (2006, on the role that credit and other forms of money other than coins played in the Roman economy), Andreau (1999, an important study of Roman banking), and Dickey (2012–15, commentary on the passages quoted below).

In this passage (Colloquia Monacensia–Einsidlensia 5a–6a) a polite and encouraging banker is depicted as happy to lend a large sum without collateral. This situation may not be unrealistic, as bankers no doubt chose their tactics depending on their knowledge of the borrower and the likelihood of eventual repayment. In this case the banker's confidence is fully justified, for in the following scene the borrower repays the money.

Friendship, for the Romans, entailed not only enjoyable companionship but also obligations. A Roman was expected to visit his friends when they were ill and to show up in court to support them when they needed it, as well as keeping in regular touch.

Further Reading

For further information on Roman friendship see Cicero's treatise De Amicitia (‘On Friendship’), Williams (2012, a look at literary and nonliterary texts bearing on the subject), Fitzgerald (1997, a collection of essays on friendship in different ancient sources), Konstan (1997, a study of friendship in Greece and Rome), and Dickey (2012–15, commentary on the passages quoted below).

Visiting The Sick

In this passage (Colloquia Monacensia–Einsidlensia 6b–j) two of Lucius’ friends, having heard that he is ill, resolve to visit him; this was a common social duty in Rome (see Philogelos jokes 34 and 70 in chapter 11.1).