Gaius Petronius Arbiter served as suffect consul in 62 AD and acted as the arbiter elegantiarum or judge of elegance within Emperor Nero's court. He functioned more like a fashion advisor than a traditional statesman while holding high political office.
The Satyricon dates to the Neronian era during the reign of Nero between 54 AD and 68 AD though no ancient source explicitly names Petronius as the author until a medieval manuscript appeared around 1450. That manuscript credited Titus Petronius with writing the original work which scholars link to Petronius Arbiter based on the novel's setting.
A reference by Sidonius Apollinaris places him or his work in Massalia now known as Marseille where some scholars believe he might have been born and educated before rising to prominence in Rome. He died at Cumae around 65 AD after being accused of treason and taking his own life without waiting for a formal sentence.
The Satyricon functions as Menippean satire that mocks nearly everything without moral reform intent while preserving plausible representations of Roman customs and ways of life. It features exact portrayals of speech behavior surroundings and appearance through characters like Trimalchio to entertain audiences including Nero's courtiers.
Gaius Petronius Arbiter took his own life around 65 AD when arrested at Cumae for treason instead of waiting for a formal sentence from Emperor Nero. Pliny the Elder described how he broke his fluorspar wine-dipper before dying because the object had cost 300,000 sesterces ensuring the emperor's table would not inherit it.