In ancient Roman religion, the Epulum Jovis (also Epulum Iovis) was a sumptuous ritual feast offered to Jupiter. Livy, a 1st-century BCE Roman historian, describes such a feast occurring during Plebeian games, which itself occurred during the month of November. The classicist John Scheid suggests that the ceremony probably also occurred after the Roman games in September, noting that such games were generally concluded with sacrificial rites.
Valerius Maximus—a 1st-century CE Roman author—describes one such "banquet of Jupiter" ("Jovis epulo") featuring the gods of the Capitoline Triad. Valerius writes that Jupiter—presumably referencing a statue of the god—rested upon a couch ("lectulum"), whereas Minerva and Juno sat upon nearby chairs ("sellas"). Another ancient Roman writer, Aulus Gellius, a 2nd-century CE Roman grammarian, records that the ceremony occurred at the Capitoline hill, and that the Senate partook in the banquet. According to the classicist John F. Donahue, the food was likely exclusively available to the Senate, as they were—according to the 1st-century CE historian Suetonius—granted the right to participate in public feasts. The Senators therefore would have been situated at the top of the Capitoline, above the forum, where the plebeians resided.
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Epulum Jovis is Ritual feast offered to Jupiter, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 1
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 1