Roman Banquets, Street Food, and Urban Markets (c. 200 BCE–300 CE)

1. Plautus-era literature references the *macellum*

   Jan 1, 200 BCELabels: Macellum, Plautus

   • Wikipedia

2. Lex Fannia restricts banquet spending and guests

   Jan 1, 161 BCELabels: Lex Fannia

   • Oxford ref
   • Wikipedia ES

3. Cato writes *De agri cultura* on food and farming

   Jan 1, 160 BCELabels: Cato the, De agri

   • Britannica
   • Wikipedia

4. Carthage’s defeat opens Mediterranean food networks

   Jan 1, 146 BCELabels: Third Punic, Mediterranean trade

   • Britannica

5. Lex Didia expands enforcement across Italy

   Jan 1, 143 BCELabels: Lex Didia

   • Wikipedia ES
   • Wikipedia ES

6. Rome’s growing population boosts street-food demand

   Jan 1, 100 BCELabels: Insulae, Urban population

   • Wikipedia
   • Pompeii

7. Thermopolia (hot-food counters) spread in Roman towns

   Jan 1, 50 BCELabels: Thermopolium

   • Wikipedia
   • Pompeii

8. Petronius satirizes elite dining in Trimalchio’s dinner

   Jan 1, 50Labels: Petronius, Trimalchio

   • Britannica
   • Loeb

9. Pompeii’s bakeries illustrate urban bread production

   Aug 24, 79Labels: Pompeii bakeries

   • Pompeii
   • Britannica

10. Vesuvius eruption freezes Pompeii’s food businesses in place

    Aug 24, 79Labels: Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii

    • Britannica
    • Pompeii

11. Apicius cookbook tradition preserves elite culinary techniques

    Jan 1, 300Labels: Apicius, De re

    • Britannica
    • Wikipedia

12. Diocletian’s price edict targets market instability

    Jan 1, 301Labels: Diocletian, Price Edict

    • Wikipedia
    • Cambridge