Cicero

Porta Saturno, Quartiere Colle,Arpino

The Young Cicero Reading

Cicero Denounces Catiline in the Roman Senate by Cesare Maccari

Marcus Tullius Cicero dragged from his litter and assassinated by soldiers under the command of Marc Antony 43 BCE

Fulvia y Marco Antonio, o La venganza de Fulvia (Museo del Prado)

Marcus Tullius Cicero (3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, orator, and author who served as consul in the year 63 BC. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the Roman equestrian order, and is considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.

Early Life

Cicero was born in Arpinum, Italy, into a well-to-do equestrian family. From an early age, he was determined to pursue the path of philosophy and rhetoric, studying under some of the most noted teachers of Athens and Rhodes. This education laid the foundation for his future career as an orator and statesman.

Political Career

Cicero's political career was marked by his staunch opposition to the Populares, a political faction that sought to give more power to the Roman lower classes, often at the expense of the Senate and the traditional Roman elite. Cicero's most notable achievement came in 63 BC, when he was elected Consul and successfully thwarted the Catiline Conspiracy, a plot led by Lucius Sergius Catilina to overthrow the Roman government.

Throughout his career, Cicero was an advocate for the Republic's traditions and a fierce critic of its enemies, including Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, and Octavian. His political and philosophical writings, including the famous Philippicae against Mark Antony, have made him an enduring symbol of Roman values and republican government.

Philosophical Works

Cicero was not only a politician but also a prolific writer, whose works on philosophy, rhetoric, and law greatly influenced Western thought. His philosophical writings, such as De Republica and De Legibus, explore ideas of justice, law, and the ideal state. Cicero's works on rhetoric, including De Oratore, remain foundational texts for the study of Roman oratory.

Death

Cicero's opposition to Mark Antony after the assassination of Julius Caesar led to his inclusion in the proscriptions, a list of individuals marked for execution during the power struggles that followed Caesar's death. Cicero was captured and executed on 7 December 43 BC. His death marked the end of the Roman Republic's most vocal advocate for traditional republican government.

Legacy

Cicero's influence on the Latin language was so immense that the subsequent history of European literature has been, in many ways, a series of footnotes to his works. His writings on the republic, law, and ethics have inspired thinkers and political leaders for centuries. Cicero is also credited with introducing the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and creating a Latin philosophical vocabulary.