Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, and writer who lived from 106 BCE to 43 BCE.

Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, and writer who lived from 106 BCE to 43 BCE. He was a leading public figure in the late Roman Republic and is remembered as one of Rome’s greatest orators and prose stylists. His writings on rhetoric, politics, and philosophy had a major influence on later Western thought.

Early life and education

Cicero was born at Arpinum and received education in Rome and Greece. His training in rhetoric and law helped prepare him for a public career.

Political career

He rose through the Roman cursus honorum and became consul in 63 BCE. His term is especially associated with suppressing the Catilinarian conspiracy and defending republican government.

Writings and ideas

Cicero produced extensive works on rhetoric, philosophy, politics, and correspondence. His surviving works include speeches, letters, and treatises on rhetoric, politics, and philosophy. He helped shape the style known as Ciceronian rhetoric. His prose became a model for later Latin writers and helped transmit Greek philosophical ideas into Roman and later European traditions.

Legacy

Cicero is remembered as a major voice of the late Republic and one of antiquity’s most influential writers. He is widely regarded as one of Rome’s greatest orators. His name is associated with eloquence, republicanism, and classical Latin style.