Marcus Tullius Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero, generally regarded as one of the greatest orators of ancient Rome, was born at Arpinum in 106 BCE. He quickly rose to prominence as an advocate and politician. As Consul in 63 BCE, he is credited with suppressing the Catilinarian Conspiracy, although at the expense of Roman constitutional government; some modern sources question whether there actually was any plot. Between periods of political activity, Cicero also wrote a number of works on Roman language, religion, and philosophy. After a series of speeches in opposition to Marcus Antonius, (the "Philippics") he was proscribed and killed in 43 BCE.
Representative Works
Political:
- Pro Caelio
- Pro Milone
- In Pisonem
- Contra Verres
- Catilinarian speeches
- Phillippics
Rhetorical:
- Rhetorica
- De Oratore
- Orator
- Topica
Philosophical:
- De Senectute (On Old Age)
- De Amicitia (On Friendship)
- De Re Publica (On the State)
- De Legibus (On the Laws)
- De Officiis (On Duties)
- Tusculan Disputations
Religious:
- De Divinatione (On Divination)
- On Fate and Free Will
- De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods)
Informal:
- Epistolae ad Atticum (Letters to Atticus)
- Epistolae ad Familiares (Letters to his Friends)
- Epigramma (Epigrams)
Family and Background
Plutarch gives Cicero's mother's name as "Helvia" but based on an inscription from Samos, Enos (2005) asserts her name may have been "Cornelia". According to Everitt, in all the extant corpus Cicero never mentions his mother. This leads to the speculation that she died while he was young.
References
Enos, Richard Leo, 2005. Speaking of Cicero . . . and His Mother: A Research Note on an Ancient Greek Inscription and the Study of Classical Rhetoric. Rhetoric Review; 2005, Vol. 24 Issue 4, p457-465, 9p [1]
Everitt, Anthony, 2001. Cicero. The life and times of Rome's greatest politician. Random House ISBN 037575895x
