▁court ier ▁during ▁the ▁reign ▁of ▁N ero . ▁He ▁is ▁generally ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁S aty ric on , ▁a ▁sat ir ical ▁novel ▁believed ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁written ▁during ▁the ▁N er onian ▁era ▁( 5 4 – 6 8 ▁AD ). ▁ ▁Life ▁T ac it us , ▁Pl ut arch ▁and ▁Pl iny ▁the ▁E lder ▁describe ▁Pet ron ius ▁as ▁the ▁elegant iae ▁ar b iter ▁( also ▁phr ased ▁ar b iter ▁eleg anti ar um ), ▁" jud ge ▁of ▁eleg ance " ▁in ▁the ▁court ▁of ▁the ▁em peror ▁N ero . ▁He ▁served ▁as ▁su ffect ▁cons ul ▁in ▁ 6 2 . ▁Later , ▁he ▁became ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁sen atorial ▁class ▁who ▁devoted ▁themselves ▁to ▁a ▁life ▁of ▁pleasure . ▁His ▁relationship ▁to ▁N ero ▁was ▁apparently ▁a kin ▁to ▁that ▁of ▁a ▁fashion ▁ad visor . ▁ ▁T ac it us ▁gives ▁this ▁account ▁of ▁Pet ron ius ▁in ▁his ▁historical ▁work ▁the ▁Ann als ▁( X VI . 1 8 ): ▁ ▁None ▁of ▁the ▁ancient ▁sources ▁give ▁any ▁further ▁detail ▁about ▁his ▁life , ▁or ▁mention ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁writer . ▁However , ▁a ▁medieval ▁manuscript ▁written ▁around ▁ 1 4 5 0 ▁of ▁the ▁S aty ric on ▁cred ited ▁a ▁" T it us ▁Pet ron ius " ▁as ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁original ▁work . ▁Trad itionally , ▁this ▁reference ▁is ▁linked ▁with ▁Pet ron ius ▁Ar b iter ,