Cicero's Early Life

He Started Learning Early Which Prepared Him for Later Life

by A. L. O'Connor

• Cicero’s cognomen meant “Chickpea,” but despite the urgings of his contemporaries he did not change it.

• Cicero spent most time studying histories, philosophy, treatises, literature, and plays.

• His love of philosophy propelled him to write treatises in both Latin and Greek as all Romans deemed civilized.

• His school was Hellenistic Philosophy where he specialized in Classical Republicanism, Electeciticism.

Region

Western philosophy

School

• Academic Skepticism

• Classical Republicanism

• Eclecticism

Main interests

• Ethics

• epistemology

• theology

• politics

• law

• rhetoric

Family Life

· Cicero’s first wife was Terentia in seventy-nine which lasted harmoniously for thirty years. They had two children, Tulia, and Cicero Minor. However, until the fifty’s where Cicero became more embroiled in the republic politics Cicero found her unfaithful and divorced her. Cicero then married a much younger Publiliana in 46 BC and divorced her for Publiliana’s adulterous behavior in 45 BC.

Graffiti on the walls throughout Rome was used to spread political information both pros and cons of the figures in the public sphere and senate in Rome. Examples of graffiti were so clever and became so popular that they could promote politicians and end careers in the political arena for those unfortunate to get on the bad side of graffiti artists.

Gaius Julius Caesar had lovers both married and unmarried, but the longest affair he had was with Servilia. From 59 BC until shortly before her death in 42 BC Caesar and Servilia continued their liaison happily and with mutual enthusiasm where she gained fame as his mistress. Plutarch even wrote the affair started when they were in their teens giving rise to the speculation that Brutus was his son since Julius Caesar would have been fifteen at the time. Plutarch is the only historian to put forth this information.

However, Julius Caesar abruptly ended the affair with Servilia after seeing to his horror, scurrilous graffiti about the affair. Because that graffiti impugned his gravitas and political career Caesar ended the affair abruptly causing Servilia great heartache that metastasized into hatred. That ire actively supplied the impetus to set her son Brutus and son-in-law Gaius Cassius Longinus to meet and plot the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar. The meeting took place at her home in Rome in 44 BC two years after her death thus Servilia had her revenge posthumously.

Hell, hath no fury as a woman scorned.