The Satyricon offers a mocking, insider''s glimpse into the most excessively decadent, cruel, and contradictory aspects of life in Nero''s Rome. A series of wandering, debauchery-filled tales, starring a picaresque anti-hero named Encolpius, the text leaves no stone unturned in its relentlessly humorous battle against all forms of bad taste. It is considered by many to be the crown jewel of Roman literary achievement.