Epulones

They constituted one of the four great religious corporations (quattuor amplissima collegia) of ancient Roman priests.

[2][3] The need for such a college arose as the increasingly elaborate festivals required experts to oversee their organization.

The third college was the epulones; their duties to arrange the feasts and public banquets for festivals and games (ludi) had originally been carried out by the pontiffs.

[1] The College of Epulones was established long after civil reforms had opened the magistracies and most priesthoods to plebeians, who were thus eligible from its beginning.

[9] Initially there were three epulones,[10] but later their number was increased to seven by Sulla;[11] hence they were also known as the septemviri epulonum, "seven men of the sacrificial banquets".