Marcus Tullius Cicero was born on January 3rd, 106 BC in Arpinum, a town in southern Lazio. This small town was also the birthplace of Gaius Marius, the legendary Roman general and seven-time consul in the late 2nd and early 1st centuries BC. According to tradition, it was also the home of Marcus Agrippa, the trusted lieutenant of Augustus. From this legacy comes the town’s motto, “Hinc ad imperium”—“From here to empire.” Cicero often remarked on the connection between himself and Marius. Both men, despite being regarded as novi homines (“new men”) and outsiders to Rome, played pivotal roles in saving the city: Marius during the Cimbrian War and Cicero during the Catilinarian conspiracy.
Cicero's Influence on Latin
Cicero’s contributions to the Latin language cannot be overstated. While the idea of “proper Latin” being synonymous with Cicero’s style is often exaggerated, his work undeniably shaped the language into the powerful literary medium it became for centuries. His writings influenced countless cultures and eras, cementing Latin’s place as a universal language of scholarship.
Ironically, one of the most important sources on Cicero’s life is not in Latin but in Greek: Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, which pairs Cicero with the Athenian orator Demosthenes. This is fitting, as the Greek language and philosophical traditions profoundly influenced Cicero’s work as both an orator and a writer.
A Glimpse into Cicero's Early Life
Here is an excerpt from the Latin translation of Plutarch’s account of Cicero’s youth, taken from a bilingual edition published in 1723. This serves as a reminder of a time when Latin was the bridge to studying Greek texts, reflecting the enduring legacy of Cicero himself:
“Editum ferunt Ciceronem, facili partu et nullo matris dolore, tertio Nonas Januarias; quo die magistratus nunc vota faciunt et sacrificant pro incolumitate principis. Nutrici ejus spectrum aiunt se obtulisse, ac praedixisse ingens eam bonum omnibus Romanis nutrire. Hac quum somnia esse et vana alioquin viderentur, ipse brevi ostendit certum fuisse oraculum. Nam ubi literarum fuit per aetatem capax, tanta in eo eluxit indoles, tantumque nomen inter pueros et laudem comparavit, quae parentes eorum excitaret ut ad ludum pergerent ad Ciceronem oculis contemplandum, celebratumque ejus in discendo acumen et solertiam considerandam: agrestiores succenserent filiis, quum cernerent in media eos caterva Ciceronem honoris causa per vias stipantes. Hic quum esset, qualem esse Plato vult studiosam et philosophiae naturam amantem, ad omnes natus artes complectendas, nec ad ullum doctrinae aut eruditionis praetereundum genus, ad poesim sane fuit proclivior. Extat poema quoddam parvum, quod puer etiamnum edidit, Pontius Glaucus, versibus tetrametris compositum. Progressu temporis, quum magis ac magis hoc studium excoleret, non modo orator habitus est, sed et poeta inter Romanos praestantissimus. Caeterum laus oratoria, licet multa in dicendo novata fuerint, vel hac manet aetate: poetica vero, quia multi ei insignes successerunt, neglecta jacet et obsoleta.”
“It is said that Cicero was born, without travail or pain on the part of his mother, on the third day of the new kalends, the day on which magistrates now offer sacrifices and prayers for the health of the emperor. It would seem also that a phantom appeared to his nurse and foretold that her charge would be a great blessing to all the Romans. Although these presages were thought to be mere dreams and idle fancies, Cicero soon showed them to be true prophecy; for when he was of an age to take lessons, his natural talent shone out clearly, and he won name and fame among his peers. Fathers would visit the school to see Cicero with their own eyes, observing his keen intelligence and studies for which he was praised. The ruder among them resented their sons walking with Cicero placed in the center of their group as a mark of honor.
Though Cicero was interested in all branches of learning, as Plato believed a true philosopher should be, he showed a special inclination toward poetry. A short poem he wrote as a boy, titled Pontius Glaucus, composed in tetrameter verse, survives to this day. As he matured, he grew in his love for learning and was regarded not only as Rome’s greatest orator but also as a talented poet. His fame as an orator endures to this day, despite changes in style, while his poetry has fallen into neglect due to the rise of later poets of great distinction.”
Cicero’s Lasting Legacy
Through his writing, Cicero used Latin as a tool for complex thought and expression, bridging the philosophical worlds of Greece and Rome. His works continue to inspire readers today, inviting them into the richness of classical culture and thought.
