Marcus Tullius Cicero

Cicero was born in 106 BC to a well-to-do family in the town of Arpinum, near Rome. Cicero was educated in the teachings of ancient Greek poets, philosophers, and historians, and was a very talented student. Cicero became an accomplished philosopher, orator, lawyer, and politician. He was elected to Rome’s Counsul in 63 BC, and during his counsulship, he thwarted an attempt to assassinate him and overthrow the Roman Republic. After Julius Caesar’s death, Cicero became an enemy of Marc Antony and was put to death for being an enemy of the state in 43 BC. Some of Cicero’s most important writings on philosophy and rhetoric include De Re Publica (On the Republic) and De Legibus (On the Laws).