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The writings of Marcus Tullius Cicero constitute one of the most renowned collections of historical and philosophical work in all of classical antiquity. Cicero was a Roman politician , lawyer , orator , political theorist , philosopher , and constitutionalist who lived during the years of 106–43 BC.
De Natura Deorum belongs to the group of philosophical works which Cicero wrote in the two years preceding his death in 43 BC. [1] He states near the beginning of De Natura Deorum that he wrote them both as a relief from the political inactivity to which he was reduced by the supremacy of Julius Caesar, and as a distraction from the grief caused by the death of his daughter Tullia.
Marcus Tullius Cicero [a] (/ ˈ s ɪ s ə r oʊ / SISS-ə-roh; Latin: [ˈmaːrkʊs ˈtʊlli.ʊs ˈkɪkɛroː]; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, [4] who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the establishment of the Roman Empire. [5]
Cicero addresses the Disputationes to his friend Brutus, a fellow politician of note, and later assassin of Julius Caesar. In the first book Cicero sets up the fiction that they are the record of five days of discussions with his friends written after the recent departure of Brutus. [ 3 ]
Caesar's lenient position won many senators over to his side, although it too was illegal – life sentences not being permitted without trial – and impractical. [50] Cicero purports he then interrupted proceedings to deliver a speech urging immediate action, [b] but the tide did not turn towards execution until Cato the Younger spoke. [51]
Caesar famously crossed the Rubicon and came to Rome, sparking a civil war. When Caesar prevailed in the war and looked to seize power in Rome, Cato committed suicide. Several leading Romans wrote works in posthumous praise or criticism of Cato. A famous panegyric by Cicero titled simply Cato led to Caesar writing his Anticato in response. [2]
Cicero was proscribed, as was his younger brother Quintus Tullius Cicero (formerly one of Caesar's legati), and all of their supporters. [citation needed] They included a tribune named Salvius, who had sided with Antony before switching his support to Cicero. Octavian reportedly argued for two days against Cicero being added to the proscription ...
Caesar pardoned him and Cicero tried to adjust to the situation and maintain his political work, hoping that Caesar might revive the Republic and its institutions. In a letter to Varro on c. 20 April 46 BC, Cicero outlined his strategy under Caesar's dictatorship: "I advise you to do what I am advising myself—avoid being seen even if we ...