The sailors, merchants, laborers and other customers stared openly as the large well-dressed party began filing in. First a tall, balding man with an important-looking paunch and wearing a deep green chiton with the old-fashioned key motif decoration ; another middle-aged man who who may have been his brother, two stocky women in elegant matching red and white peploi and glass beads in their freshly made-up hair, an elderly woman in a plain robe straining over a still ample bosom, six youngsters who looked between 8 and 15 years old -- one of the boys pulled absently at barely visible whiskers. Three slaves attended them.

“Yes, bring that table and slide it next to this one. You, grab that bench over there. Mother, sit down here, please. Children, don’t stare.”

The man spoke with the accent of one who spends all his time in the Upper City, descending into the harbor district only when strictly necessary.

“You there,” he called to one of the serving girls, “we need another bench, and some cushions if you have any. We’re eleven. Bring us water, plenty of it, and a large jug of the best house wine. And every kind of dish -- snails, tuna, chicken, mullet, lamb, goat, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, cheese, everything ! Where is Master Demos ? Call Master Demos ! I want to make a toast to the most famous kapelion in Seleucia, the one that will be making the news in the next edition of the Seleucia Times !”

One of the young children leaned close to her mother and whispered, “Mama, this is so embarrassing !”