Cicero

Lore & Background

Cicero was born into a wealthy equestrian family in Arpinum. He studied law, rhetoric, and philosophy in Rome and Greece, learning from Greek academics such as Philo of Larissa and Apollonius Molon. His early legal career included the defense of Sextus Roscius in 80 BC, which brought him renown. He served as consul in 63 BC, during which he suppressed the Catilinarian conspiracy, but was exiled in 58 BC for executing conspirators without trial, returning the next year.

During the 50s BC, Cicero was unhappy with Roman politics and took a governorship in Cilicia in 51 BC. He supported Pompey in Caesar's civil war but was pardoned after Caesar's victory. Following Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Cicero led the Senate against Mark Antony, delivering the Philippicae speeches. He supported Octavian, but after Octavian and Antony formed the Second Triumvirate, Cicero was proscribed and executed in 43 BC. His severed hands and head were displayed on the Rostra by Antony's order.

Cicero adapted Hellenistic philosophy into Latin, coining nearly 150 neologisms such as evidentia, humanitas, and qualitas. His letters, rediscovered by Petrarch, are credited with initiating the 14th-century Renaissance in public affairs, humanism, and classical Roman culture.

Reader's Guide

Cicero's significance lies in his role as a pivotal figure in the transition from the Roman Republic to the Empire, his development of Latin philosophical vocabulary, and his enduring influence on Western thought. His writings, which survive in substantial quantity, are a primary source for the history of the late Republic. Cicero's rhetorical innovations, termed 'Ciceronian rhetoric,' set a standard for Latin prose style. During the 18th-century Enlightenment, his works heavily influenced thinkers such as John Locke, David Hume, Montesquieu, and Edmund Burke. According to Polish historian Tadeusz Zieliński, 'the Renaissance was above all things a revival of Cicero, and only after him and through him of the rest of Classical antiquity.' His legacy includes the coining of Latin terms that became foundational for philosophical discourse, and his political speeches, especially the Philippicae, exemplify his oratorical skill and political engagement. Today, his works remain essential for the study of Roman history, particularly the final years of the Republic.

Did You Know?

• Cicero's cognomen comes from the Latin for chickpea (cicer), possibly due to an ancestor having a cleft nose resembling a chickpea.
• He coined almost 150 Latin neologisms by translating Greek philosophical terms, including evidentia, humanitas, and qualitas.
• After his execution, his severed hands and head were displayed on the Rostra by order of Mark Antony.
• Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited with initiating the 14th-century Renaissance.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"We should never take pleasure in causing pain to others, even to those who have wronged us, but rather strive to do good to all." — Cicero "Equidem ad pacem hortari non desino; quae vel iniusta utilior est quam iustissimum bellum cum civibus." — Cicero "As for me, I cease not to advocate peace. It may be on unjust terms, but even so it is more expedient than the justest of civil wars." — Cicero "They are such fools that they seem to expect that, though the Republic is lost, their fish-ponds will be safe." — Cicero