Cicero and the Roman Republic

In studying Roman history, we often see the first century BCE as orchestrated from the top by a procession of willful generals turn dictators. But it's important to remember that the careers of Marius and Sola and those who followed them were made possible by the increasing corrosion of the republican political system. The Roman Senate had previously been a relatively stable old boys club staffed by wealthy landowners but turned into a fundamentally volatile organization in which old and new money fought for primacy. By reading Cicero, politics and persuasion in ancient Rome, you can learn about Cicero's life, but you'll also learn about the Cursus honorum, the rise of equestrians, tax farming, the Marian