Delicati and Delicia in the Roman Empire: A Study of Epigraphic and Literary Sources

Until now, scholarly literature has largely presented a salacious image of the slaves known as delicati or delicia in the Roman Empire. This study aims to bring together literary, epigraphic, and iconographic sources found on funerary monuments in order to offer a more nuanced perspective. These delicati and delicia were not merely objects of pleasure but also symbols of social status. Libertine families, imitating the senatorial aristocracy and the Imperial household, displayed these slaves as a sign of social ascent, a process that necessarily involved achieving a solid economic capacity. Along with discussion of the meaning and interpretation of these and related terms, this volume presents a comprehensive catalogue of the relevant epigraphic material.