Definition: Petronius, arbiter of elegance to the Emperor Nero, is assumed to be the same Petronius who was the author of a (Menippean satire) novel Satyricon. Information on Petronius comes from the Annals of Tacitus, who describes Petronius as a pleasure-seeker and probably wealthy. He served as governor of Bithynia and as consul after which Nero appointed him arbiter elegantiae (arbiter of elegance). Petronius incurred the enmity of the commander of the imperial guard who accused him of involvement in an assassination conspiracy. Like the Stoic philosopher Seneca who had attacked the class of pleasure-seekers to which Petronius was attached, Petronius, too, committed suicide.
Petronius' name may have been Titus Petronius Niger.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
Petronius' name may have been Titus Petronius Niger.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica
Also Known As: Petronius Arbiter
