Cicero

Biography

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE) was a Roman statesman, orator, lawyer, and philosopher who is considered one of Rome's greatest speakers and prose stylists. Rising from a non-noble family to become consul, Cicero played a central role in the political upheavals of the late Roman Republic, opposing both Caesar and the conspirators who assassinated him. He was eventually murdered on the orders of Mark Antony. Cicero's philosophical works, including the Tusculan Disputations, On the Nature of the Gods, and On Duties, transmitted Greek philosophy to the Latin West and shaped Western thought for two millennia. His letters provide an unparalleled firsthand account of Roman political life.