NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

4/2/2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES- Dr. Janina Darling of the University of California at Santa Cruz will discuss an intriguing aspect of Roman culture in a lecture at Northwestern State University Wednesday, April 21 at 8 p.m. in the Ora G, Williams Studio (Room 142) in Kyser Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

The lecture, "Please Don't Steal the Napkin, Dining in the Year One" is an hour-long talk about multiple aspects of the dinner party, or cena, in Roman culture. Sharing a meal with one's inferiors or superiors was the central institution of Roman society, which was rigidly stratified and class-conscious. Self-presentation on the stage of civic life included demonstrations not only of wealth and political influence but also of hospitality, culture and good taste. The dinner party was the arena in which the host displayed these characteristics in order to impress and honor his guests.

The lecture is intended for non-specialists and is geared to being entertaining as well as informative. There is humor, but it is also based on solid research. A large number of slides illustrate the various topics as they are introduced. Beginning with a poem by Catullus, the lecture takes the audience to a "Roman dinner party of the imagination." To begin, preparations to be host or guest, dining rooms and furniture, arrival at the party, seating order, manners and dishes are presented. Next, is a discussion of cooks, various types of food, a few famous Roman wines and finally, the after-dinner entertainment.

This imaginary dinner party is based on archaeological evidence, largely from Pompeii, and Latin literary sources such as Catullus, Juvenal, Martial and Petronius.

Darling has lectured in art history at the University of California at Santa Cruz, since 1987. She has advanced degrees from the University of California and the University of Illinois. A specialist in the art history of the Ancient World, particularly of the Roman Empire and Greece, her book "Architecture of Greece," will be published by Greenwood Press in June.

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