This book aims to provide a comprehensive inquiry into the short metrical intermezzos inserted
in the prose narrative of Petronius¿ Satyrica. The text of each poem has been thoroughly
investigated in addition special attention has been devoted to their function in the context
and to the aspects connecting Petronius with the literature and culture of his time. Numerous
contacts with other ancient authors have been pointed out to illustrate Petronius¿ attitude to
the cultural and literary heritage on the one hand and the character of his own work on the
other.
