for our eTwinning project EUtopia-2015

1. Cicero's De re publica
presented by Anastasia B. and Gerrit S.
(„Neues Gymnasium Wilhelmshaven“,
Latin course, class 10)

2. Outline
● basic information
● Cicero (author)
● history of the text of „De re publica“
● content
● the books
● main actor
● all involved persons
● a picture
● sources of this presentation

3. basic information about
„De re publica“
● written by Marcus Tullius Cicero
● written between 54 and 51 b.C.
● discussion about the best form of government
● consists of 6 books
● written as a platonic dialogue
● main actor: Scipio Aemilianus
● role model: Platon's „Politeia“
● dedicated to Cicero's brother Quintus

4. Cicero
● full name: Marcus Tullius Cicero
● born january 3rd
106 b.C. in Arpinum
●
died december 7th
43 b.C.
● was a Roman politician, lawyer, author and philosopher
● popular speaker in Rome
● role model for many people (“Ciceronianism“ = writing in in
stilistic manner of Cicero)
● cursus honorum in minimum time
● → 63 b.C. consul

5. history of the text of „De re
publica“
● in the 19th century reconstruted from a palimpsest
● palimpsest: re-used manuscript page, e.g. pergament,
whose original text had been scraped or washed off
● under a medieval manuscript Ciceros text was hidden
● not everything could be reconstruted
● palimpsest contained book 1-5 ( without book 6 which was
handed down in another way)
● every book survived only in fragments

6. General content of
„De re publica“
● ideal constitution
● comparison of democracy,aristocracy,monarchy
● dialogue, extends over the three days of the feriae latinae
(important religious fest, held in April) 129 b.C.
● one day= two books
● every day has its own preface (1,3,5)
● Cicero thinks monarchy is the best constitution

7. The Books
● book 1: 17 pages missed
● all books together discuss three topics:
● book 1&2: about state theory
● book 3&4: about justice and legislation
● book 5&6: about best statesman

8. number of
rulers
good form attribute bad form attribute
one person regnum
kingdom
caritas
welfare
tyrannis superbia
arrogance
some persons civitas
optimatum
optimates rule
consilium
wisdom
oligarchy factiones
cliques
everybody civitas
popularis
popular
government
libertas
liberty
anarchy
ochlokraty
licentia
rampant mass
Cicero's civics

9. Main character: Scipio Aemilianus
● general and statesman
● known because of the destruction of Carthage
● also called „younger Scipio“
● has all the virtues of the traditional Romans e.g. dignity,
braveness
● educated man
● full name: Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus
minor Numantinus
● born in year 185 b.C.
● died in year 129 b.C.

10. Scipio Aemilianus

11. All involved persons
● Gaius Fannius: officer,rhetor,statesman,Roman historian,
wrote for example annales (historical writings dealing
with the events chronologically, year by year)
● Gaius Laelius Sapiens:born190 b.C.,officer,statesman,
rhetor, Stoic, belonged to “Scipio's circle“
● Manius Manilius: statesman,legal expert, jurist, consul
● Spurius Mummius: Stoic, follower of Stoic philosopher Panaetius,
expert of Greek culture and language
● Lucius Furius Philios: statesman, rhetor, consul, speaking pure
(exemplary) Latin, member of “Scipio's circle“
● Publius Rutilius Rufus: born 156 b.C., his idol also was Panaetius,
consul, statesman, jurist, rhetor, historian

12. involved persons (part 2)
● Qiuntus Mucius Scaevola: statesman, jurist,
was taught in philosophy by Panaetius, consul,
teacher of Cicero in legal practice
● Quintus Aelius Tubero: rhetor, jurist, politician, Stoic,
Cicero estimated especially Tubero's character

13. Manuscript of De re publica
(palimpsest)

14. Sources:
● de.wikipedia.org de re publica
● de.wikipedia.org Marcus Tullius Cicero
● de.wikipedia.org Scipio Aemilianus
● imgarcade.com/1/cicero-de-re-publica/
● schule-bw.de/unterricht/faecher/latein/lateinische-bibliothek/cicero-philosophie/einfuehrung-
ciceros-philosophische-werke.html
● DE RE PUBLICA (Buch) Lateinische Klassiker , Schöningh
● de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Publius_Cornelius_Scipio_Aemilianus_Africanus