SOCIAL-LEGAL STATUS OF COOK IN THE ROMAN REPUBLIC AND EMPIRE

Abstract

This paper is aimed at introducing the social and legal status of the cook in the ancient Rome, especially in the period of the republic and empire. The author seeks in it for the answers to the following questions. What image is drawn in the light of the preserved extralegal and legal sources? Was cocus someone respected or despised? For what purposes did he associate with other cooks? Who cocus optimus was and who cocus mediocris was and how did it affect, if he was a slave at the same time, the responsibility of the seller? The image of a cook, which is drawn on grounds of preserved literary, epigraphic as well as legal sources is very diversified. Sometimes this profession was depreciated at Romans’, some other time generated very positive reactions. This article consists of two parts. The first one basing on extralegal sources: literary or epigraphic, presents the sociological portrait of a cook. The second one analyses the selected legal aspects of this profession basing on, most of all, the preserved juridical sources especially CTh. 7,13,8 and D. 21,1,18,1.