# Did Ancient Romans Eat To Excess..Then VOMIT (so As To Eat More)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 20, 2004, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-romans-eat-to-excess-then-vomit-so-as-to-eat-more/270301 "2004-10-20T23:05:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-romans-eat-to-excess-then-vomit-so-as-to-eat-more/270301/1 "2004-10-20T23:05:55Z")
I once read that the ancient Romans would eat like pigs, then vomit up their food,so they could resume eating. Supposedly, there was a trough (in front of the seats at the Colliseum) where one could vomit. I find this story to be quite bizarre, and I doubt it for two big reasons: -having been sick several times, you DO NOT want to eat after vomiting…your mouth has that awful taste from the stomach acid, and the smell is an apetite deterrent as well -food was expensive in Roman times, and wasting it in such a selfish fashion would have mey with disapproval So is this a bit of historical fiction? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-romans-eat-to-excess-then-vomit-so-as-to-eat-more/270301/2 "2004-10-20T23:07:11Z")
I dunno, but I know this belongs in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-romans-eat-to-excess-then-vomit-so-as-to-eat-more/270301/3 "2004-10-20T23:16:58Z")
I’d read that “etmyology” too, but I’m pretty sure that my Latin teacher’s version was that “vomitoria” were the aisles/passageways allowing entrance and egress in whatever-the-heck-they-called-the-big-sporting-arenas. (Sorry my brain has gone on strike - must be sleep-time) No cite for the vomitoria right now, but will try to check. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-romans-eat-to-excess-then-vomit-so-as-to-eat-more/270301/4 "2004-10-20T23:20:09Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/columns/021101.html](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/021101.html) ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-romans-eat-to-excess-then-vomit-so-as-to-eat-more/270301/5 "2004-10-20T23:20:54Z")
> [@](#): > > … > The Colosseum also had vomitoria - a passageway that opens into a tier of seats from below or behind. The vomitoria of the Colosseum in Rome were designed so that the immense venue could fill in 15 minutes, and be evacuated in 5 minutes. Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. (There were 80 entrances at ground level, 76 for ordinary spectators and 4 for the imperial family.) The vomitoria quickly dispersed people into their seats and upon conclusion of the event disgorged them with abruptness into the surrounding streets - giving rise, presumably, to the name. > > … [http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Colosseum](http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Colosseum) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-ancient-romans-eat-to-excess-then-vomit-so-as-to-eat-more/270301/6 "2004-10-20T23:23:20Z")
Not to dispute Uncle Cecil, but it seems [both](http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http%3a%2f%2fweb.ask.com%2fweb%3fq%3dvomitorium%26o%3d8001%26page%3d1&q=vomitorium&u=http%3a%2f%2ftm.wc.ask.com%2fr%3ft%3dan%26s%3da%26uid%3d28a582e2c8a582e2c%26sid%3d38a582e2c8a582e2c%26qid%3d2A68F34C8F3D6245A66BB0208E52A259%26io%3d5%26sv%3dza5cb0d70%26o%3d8001%26ask%3dvomitorium%26uip%3d8a582e2c%26en%3dte%26eo%3d-100%26pt%3dThe%2bQuarter%2b%252311%2b--%2bDisgusting%2bFact!%26ac%3d24%26qs%3d121%26pg%3d1%26ep%3d1%26te_par%3d103%26te_id%3d%26u%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.thequarter.org%2fissue11%2fpage05.php&s=a&bu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.thequarter.org%2fissue11%2fpage05.php&qte=0&o=8001&abs=Issue+11%3a+More+than+you+ever+wanted+to+know+about+the+Roman+'Vomitorium'.&tit=The+Quarter+%2311+--+Disgusting+Fact!&bin=&cat=wp&purl=http%3a%2f%2ftm.wc.ask.com%2fi%2fb.html%3ft%3dan%26s%3da%26uid%3d28a582e2c8a582e2c%26sid%3d38a582e2c8a582e2c%26qid%3d2A68F34C8F3D6245A66BB0208E52A259%26io%3d%26sv%3dza5cb0d70%26o%3d8001%26ask%3dvomitorium%26uip%3d8a582e2c%26en%3dbm%26eo%3d-100%26pt%3d%26ac%3d24%26qs%3d121%26pg%3d1%26u%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fmyjeeves.ask.com%2faction%2fsnip&Complete=1) uses of the word are valid.