"Two of the most notable examples from Ancient Rome
center on the emperors Vitellius and Claudius who were notorious for
their binge eating and purging practices. Historian Suetonius writes
that “Above all, however, he [Vitellius] was … always having at least
three feasts, sometimes four in a day — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a
drinking party — and easily finding capacity for it all through regular
vomiting” (Suetonius, Vit, 13) [1]. Similarly, the emperor Claudius was
infamous for never leaving a meal until overfed, after which a feather
was placed in his throat to stimulate his gag reflex (Suetonius, Claud, 33) [2].
In his writing, Suetonius takes on a disapproving tone when describing
the eating habits of Claudius and Vitellius, as highlighted by the use of
words such as “luxury,” “cruelty,” and “stuffed”(Crichton, 204). This tone
indicates that although binge eating and purging were accepted, albeit
uncommon in Roman culture, the practices were negatively associated
with gluttony and a lack of self-control. "
> Stories of this kind were part of the common currency of Roman political discourse. Suetonius devotes similar space to the sexual transgressions of Caligula, Nero, and Domitian – such behaviour is to be expected of a tyrant. The remoteness of the emperor’s residence itself must have fuelled the most lurid imaginations back in Rome.
Suetonius was born in 69 AD; Vitellius was emperor in 69 AD and Claudius was emperor from 41-54. They weren't contemporaries.
~ Ancient Hunger, Modern World by Solia Valentine
Via: https://escholarship.org/content/qt2594j40t/qt2594j40t_noSpl...
[1]: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext... [2]: https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:abo:ph...