Marcus Tullius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC - December 7, 43 BC) was an orator and statesman of Rome, generally considered the greatest Latin prose stylist.
Marcus Tullius Cicero at about age 60, from an ancient marble bust
Cicero was born Arpinum, Italy and died in Rome.
He was a leader in the last half-century of the Roman Republic. While his oratory and prose were renouned, his poetry did not enjoy a similar positive reputation.
Cicero was consul in 63 B.C. -- the first man elected consul who had no consular ancestors in more than 30 years. He is particularly noted for his speeches against Catiline, the total of which was four -- two to the senate, and two to the people. He was later exiled, and during this time, wrote down his speeches, before returning to Rome. He was eventually executed, and his hands and head were hung in the rostra in the Roman forum.
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Major Works:
Speeches:
Philosophical works:
Letters:
- ad Atticum
- ad Familiares
- ad Quintum
- ad Brutum
- speeches - 58 survive, 88 are recorded
- rhetoric - theoretical and historical works survive
- letters - hundreds of surviving letters were published after his death
- philosophy - political philosophy, ethics, and theology
See also: Catiline Orations
External links:
Works of Cicero at the Latin Library (http://www.thelatinlibrary.com): http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/cic.html