Description
Book SynopsisPerhaps no other single Roman speech exemplifies the connection between oratory, politics and imperialism better than Cicero''s De Provinciis Consularibus, pronounced to the senate in 56 BC. Cicero puts his talents at the service of the powerful triumviri (Caesar, Crassus and Pompey), whose aims he advances by appealing to the senators'' imperialistic and chauvinistic ideology. This oration, then, yields precious insights into several areas of late republican life: international relations between Rome and the provinces (Gaul, Macedonia and Judaea); the senators'' view on governors, publicani (tax-farmers) and foreigners; the dirty mechanics of high politics in the 50s, driven by lust for domination and money; and Cicero''s own role in that political choreography. This speech also exemplifies the exceptional range of Cicero''s oratory: the invective against Piso and Gabinius calls for biting irony, the praise of Caesar displays high rhetoric, the rejection of other senators'' recommenda
Trade Review"This is a splendid work. Politics, history, the range of amicitia, constitutional complexity, philology, linguistics, rhetoric, and nuanced language are examined thoroughly and persuasively." --James S. Ruebel, Ball State University
Table of ContentsPreface ; Timeline ; Introduction ; Latin text (Peterson, OCT 1911) ; Commentary ; Glossary of rhetorical terms ; Maps ; Bibliography
