General Education
Cicero’s education flourished over time, beginning with his success as a child prodigy, to become a highly regarded author and orator. At the young age of 7, Cicero progressed through the main three levels of education, including young elementary teaching and grammarian and rhetorician learnings. Greek biographer and historian Plutarch speaks highly of Cicero, when he confirms, “For as soon as he was of an age to begin to have lessons, he became so distinguished for his talent, and got such a name and reputation among the boys, that their fathers would often visit the school that they might see young Cicero, and might be able to say that they themselves had witnessed the quickness and readiness in learning for which he was renowned.” (Plutarch, cited in Stevenson, 2009). Kathryn Tempest, a senior lecture of Latin Literature with a PhD in Roman History verified this; “If we are to believe Plutarch, Cicero was a star pupil at school.” (Tempest, 2011)
Watch a short video on Cicero's education! For more info, click on the link here!
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He thrived in areas of memory and delivery, the two criteria that are essential for a successful oratory career. Studying in Athens, Rhodes and attending lecturers, Cicero studied extensively, and excelled in his career, writing many philosophical texts for Rome. John Sellars, an ancient philosophy researcher with a PhD in Philosophy certifies that Cicero was, “A prodigious author, he produced a large number of orations, letters and rhetorical works, all well as an important body of philosophical work.” (Sellars, 2006) Although these sources were presented with bias, he was an incredibly versatile writer with his eloquence scoring him many supporters. Many of Cicero’s letters were kept by his secretary, Tiro who published the letters after his death. These sources provided an unparalleled view of Roman political life in the time of Cicero, and provided great knowledge and understanding to Roman times, and gave insight into the actions that led to the collapse of the Roman republic.
Check out more information on Cicero's letters below!
Start at 1.31 seconds - 2.28 seconds!
Take a look at some of Cicero's philosophical texts here!
Sources
Constable, N., 2003. Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome. New York: Thalamus Publishing.
Sellars, J., 2006. Stoicism. Los Angeles: Acumen Publishing Limited.
Stevenson, D. C., 2009. Cicero. [Online] Available at: http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/cicero.html [Accessed 29 April 2014].
Tempest, K., 2011. Cicero Politics and Persuasion in Ancient Rome. New York: Continuum International Publishing.
Sellars, J., 2006. Stoicism. Los Angeles: Acumen Publishing Limited.
Stevenson, D. C., 2009. Cicero. [Online] Available at: http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/cicero.html [Accessed 29 April 2014].
Tempest, K., 2011. Cicero Politics and Persuasion in Ancient Rome. New York: Continuum International Publishing.