Selected Works

by Marcus Tullius Cicero

Overview

Born in 106 BC, Marcus Tullius Cicero was the member of a well connected and well to do family. His cognomen, a personal surname, is derived from the Latin word for chickpea. It is suggested that this name may have been chosen as a result of his family’s prosperity arising from the cultivation of chickpeas. His name suggests that despite being one the wealthiest men of his time he viewed himself he carried himself with humility. Educated in Latin and Greek, Cicero would rise to the highest ranks of Roman society, playing an important role as a Roman statesman in the final decades of the Roman Republic. Today he is remembered chiefly for his writings which give us great insight into both his time and his philosophy. Contained within this volume are some of his most important writings on oration, religion, and philosophy. Following the translations of C. D. Yonge, Walter Miller, and E. S. Shuckburgh, “Selected Works” will provide the student of ancient Rome a key insight into the life and time of one of its most important figures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420971439
Publisher:	Digireads.com Publishing
Publication date:	01/08/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	871,526
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), Roman orator and statesman, was born at Arpinum of a wealthy local family. He was taken to Rome for his education with the idea of a public career and by the year 70 he had established himself as the leading barrister in Rome. In the meantime his political career was well under way and he was elected praetor for the year 66. One of the most permanent features of his political life was his attachment to Pompeii. As a politician, his greatest failing was his consistent refusal to compromise; as a statesman his ideals were more honorable and unselfish than those of his contemporaries. Cicero was the greatest of the roman orators, posessing a wide range of technique and an excpetional command of the Latin tongue. He followed the common practice of publishing his speeches, but he also produced a large number of works on the theory and practice of rhetoric, on religion, and on moral and political philosophy. He played a leading part in the development of the Latin hexameter. Perhaps the most interesting of all his works is the collection fo 900 remarkably informative letters, published posthumously. These not only contain a first-hand account of social and political life in the upper classes at Rome, but also reflect the changing personal feelings of an emotional and sensitive man.

Table of Contents

Introduction:
1. Cicero against Tyranny by Jerome
2. How to Live: Human Cooperation by Jerome
3. Cicero as Writer and Speaker: Translator's Problems by Jerome
4. The Fame of Cicero by Jerome

Part One: Against Tyranny
1. Attack on Misgovernment: Against Verres, I
2. Cicero's Life and Letters: Selection from his Correspondence
3. Attack on an Enemy of Freedom: The Second Philippic against Antony

Part Two: How to Live
4. A Practical Code of Behaviour: On Duties, III
5. Cato the Elder on Old Age: On Old Age
Appendixes
A. List of Surviving Works of Cicero B. Genealogical Tables C. Key to Technical Terms D. Maps: The Roman Empire, 51 B.C.; Central Italy; Greece and West of Asia Minor; Plan of Rome Index of Personal Names