The Deipnosophistae is the only surviving work by the Greek writer Athenaeus. Probably written in the early third century AD, the book describes a series of banquets held in Rome and provides some of the best information about the dining customs and entertainments enjoyed by wealthy Romans under the Severan dynasty (AD 193-235).
The Deipnosophistae is notable for its inclusion of several aspects of Graeco-Roman culture that give much information for modern scholars. It serves as an important source for Greek cuisine, quoting the now-lost cookbook of the fifth century BC writer Mithaecus. It is also an important source for the study of homosexuality in Roman Greece, with two books devoted to the subject.