Eat While Lying

Ancient Romans and ancient Greeks did not sit at tables during meals, but reclined. Moreover, they preferred to engage in activities while lying down and many other tasks. For example, in a horizontal position they read letters, socialized with friends, and even held serious official meetings.

The reason why intellectual tasks were solved while lying down was extremely simple. The ancients reasonably believed that in a state of rest the body distracts the brain less with signals, and it works better. However, for work and meals they did not use beds or sofas, but special recliners — apocrypha. It was comfortable to lie semi-reclined on them, supporting oneself on the left elbow.

According to the ancients, this posture was perfectly suited for eating. The stomach, located on the left, rested on the soft surface. This allowed one to fill the belly to the point of refusal without experiencing discomfort. Skilled craftsmen managed to make the apocrypha so that its owner could lie on it for hours without changing position.