Trimalchio

Trimalchio is a character in the 1st-century AD Roman work of fiction Satyricon by Petronius.

[1] His full name is "Gaius Pompeius Trimalchio Maecenatianus";[2] the references to Pompey and Maecenas in his name serve to enhance his ostentatious character.

Trimalchio is known for throwing lavish dinner parties, where his numerous slaves bring course after course of exotic delicacies, such as live birds sewn up inside a pig, live birds inside fake eggs which the guests have to "collect" themselves, and a dish to represent every sign of the zodiac.

The Satyricon has a lengthy description of Trimalchio's proposed tomb (71–72), which is ostentatious and lavish.

[3] By the end of the banquet, Trimalchio's drunken showiness leads to the entire household acting out his funeral, all for his own amusement and egotism.