Participating in the banquet, held in the triclinium, were three to nine diners, who occupied three couches arranged in the form of a horseshoe: the summus, the medius and the imus. The highest-ranking guest was given the place at the lower end of the medius, called the locus praetorius, while the host occupied the first place on the imus. The arrangement of the tables depended on that of the couches; if they were pushed together, the table was in the middle; if separated, there was a larger central table and two smaller ones beside the couches.

The tableware consisted of various pieces whose number, type and material (pottery, glass, metal) reflected the owner's social status. The richest sets of dinnerware, most representative of high rank, were made of silver, sometimes embossed and engraved, with over a hundred pieces: bowls, plates, trays, serving spoons, saltcellars and pepper shakers, as well as vessels for drinking, mixing and pouring.