Cicero: Politics and Thought in the Late Republic

For understanding the cultural and intellectual life of the Late Republic, Cicero is the crucial figure. Not only did he publish his speeches and write essays on rhetorical theory and on all the branches of philosophy, he also corresponded with the most cultivated men of his time. In fact the collection of his letters includes replies from such famous historical figures as Pompey, Brutus, Cassius and Cato. This topic explores Cicero's education and training as an orator; his political and moral philosophy; his views, and those of other contemporaries, on religion and imperialism; the attitudes and lifestyle of his friend Atticus; the ethics of the Roman bar. The texts (set in translation) include speeches, essays and letters by Cicero, letters from his contemporaries, and works by his younger contemporaries Sallust and Cornelius Nepos, who provide an external view of Cicero and his friend Atticus and offer a contrast with Cicero's style and attitudes. The texts prescribed for study in translation are listed in the Examination Regulations. (Convenor: E. Bispham, Brasenose).