Cicero

  • Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE) was a Roman Senator and Consul, Historian, Constitutionalist, Political Theorist, Lawyer, and Philosopher.
  • He is considered to be the most influential Roman individual in History and in modern Western Literature.

Tironian notes

  • We know of Cicero’s speeches because they were written down in shorthand.
  • The Tironian notes are the first known example of Shorthand and were developed by Cicero’s scribe Tiro (104-4 BCE).
  • He developed a code of 4,000 symbols to record Cicero’s speeches which lasted for over 1,000 years.

Cicero the Lawyer

  • Trial of Verres in 79 BCE.
    • In 79 BCE. Gaius Verres (120-43 BCE) Propraetor of Sicily (73-71 BCE), was accused of corruption.
    • Verres was prosecuted by the Sicilian cities for misgovernment, who asked Cicero to represent them. Verres appointed the best defence lawyer available, Quintus Hortensius, to defend himself.
    • Verres had pocketed the taxes provided by the Sicilian Cities.
    • In his opening speech, Cicero demolished all hope of defense, and Hortensius advised Verres to flee to Marseille, where he remained as a Exile until his death in 43 BCE.
    • ‘In Verrem’ is a series of speeches by Cicero, recorded during Verres Trial by his scribe, Tiro.
  • The Trial of Marcus Emilius Scaurus in c.56 BCE
    • Whilst he was Propraetor, Scaurus was accused by the leading Sards of illegal taxation ‘Crimen Frutarium’. Cicero successfully defended him by discrediting the Sard witnesses.
    • He achieved this by accusing them of being untrustworthy, comparing them to the Punics who could not be trusted.
    • The phrase ‘Fides Punica’ (the trustworthiness of the Punics), was a famous saying in Rome, which referred to the chaos of the Punic Wars.

Cicero the Politician

  • Cicero helped transform the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.
  • Julius Caesar
  • Mark Anthony
  • Cataline Conspiracy
    • In 63 BCE Catiline devised a Plot to assassinate Cicero on November 7th. Cicero was warned, however, and foiled the attempt. The next day, Cicero gave the first of his Catiline Orations before the Roman Senate, where he denounced Catiline. Cicero intercepted Letters from the Conspirators which he read out to the Senate and Catiline and his co-conspirators were eventually executed.
  • Proscription

Cicero the Writer

  • Rhetoric and Politics: 6 Books
  • Philosophy: 8 Books
    • De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods) are 3 books which discuss Hellenistic Philosophy.
    • A supplement to De Natura Deorum is De Divinatione, which are 2 books discussing Divination.
    • In book I chapter xii Cicero mentions a Druid called Divitiacus, the only Druid to be referred to by name in the Ancient World.
  • Judicial and Political Speeches: 52 Speeches
    • Several printed by Penguin Classics titled ‘Murder Trials’
  • Cicero Letters: 1,000 Letters
    • Over 900 Letters from Cicero, and over 100 letters written to him.
  • ‘Spuria’:
    • These are Works attributed to Cicero, but unlikely to have been written by him.
  • ‘In Verrem’:

Quotes by Cicero

 

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