Dinner in antiquity was almost always a social affair shared with a few close friends at someone’s home.  The ancient Romans thought that the ideal number of guests for a dinner party were between three, for the number of Graces,to nine, for the number of Muses. The ideal number of guests was cause for much debate in antiquity.  

Some hosts speculated that small numbers of guests were preferable to avoid the embarrassment of running out space or wine and food.  Others, such as Plutarch, Greek-born writer who later became a Roman citizen, wrote, “If both space and the provisions are ample, we must still avoid great numbers, because they in themselves interfere with sociability and conversation.”