Petronius’ epigraphic habit

In this paper we attempt to offer a survey of the references to writing and inscribing texts in the 'Satyrica' of Petronius. We concentrate on inscriptions in order to relate them to the phenomenon known as the 'epigraphic habit' and the rapid rise of a culture of epigraphic self-representation in Roman society in the course of the first century BCE. We also explore the ways in which the reading of texts by characters in the novel and in particular Encolpius' reading of the inscriptions in the house of Trimalchio set up a process of mise en abyme which relates to the reading and interpretation of the novel as a whole.