person
Phamea
The host of a memorable dinner recalled jokingly by Cicero and Paetus (Fam. 9.16.8, 46 BC); probably a freedman or financier whose name had become a private byword for a banquet. Possibly the Phamea who was grandfather of the singer Tigellius. flag-not-resolve: identity uncertain.
Reading notes
- Ad Atticum 13.49 §1 I let Phamea down
Phamea, grandfather of Tigellius, whose lawsuit Cicero had agreed to take on; Tigellius's grievance is that Cicero withdrew from the case. The complaint is the source of the present coolness.
- Ad Familiares 9.16 §8 I remember your telling me about Phamea's dinner.
Phamea was a host (probably a Carthaginian or freedman financier known to both men) whose dinner had become a private byword between Cicero and Paetus. The point of the anecdote was apparently that the meal should be served early ('Let it be earlier'), the convention for a leisurely banquet.