Cicero Facts & Worksheets

Cicero, a prominent Roman figure, fiercely advocated for republican values as a statesman, lawyer, philosopher, and writer during the tumultuous end of the Roman Republic. Born in 106 BCE in Arpinum, Italy, and passing away on December 7, 43 BCE, in Formia, he was a prolific author known for his letters, orations, philosophical works, and treatises on politics and rhetoric. Cicero’s exceptional oratory earned him the title of the greatest Roman orator and the founder of what is now recognized as Ciceronian eloquence.

See the fact file below for more information about Cicero, or you can download our 28-page Cicero worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND CAREER

• Cicero was born into a prosperous family in Arpinum, received a strong education in Rome and Greece, and began his legal career in 81 by defending Publius Quinctius. 
• His reputation was established with a successful defense of Sextus Roscius against a false parricide charge in 80 or early 79.
• He entered public service as a quaestor in western Sicily in 75.
• Cicero’s political career was closely tied to his friendship with Pompey and his opposition to Marcus Licinius Crassus. 
• He became consul in 63 with the support of the Optimates, a conservative faction in the Roman Senate.
• During his consulship, Cicero opposed Servilius Rullus’ agrarian bill but focused primarily on uncovering and thwarting Catiline’s seditious plans. 
• Catiline, who had been defeated in 64, ran for consul again in 63, prompting Cicero to preside over the elections wearing armor beneath his toga. 
• Cicero exposed Catiline’s conspiracy to set fire to Rome and incite uprisings throughout Italy. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt, Cicero addressed the Senate on November 8, and Catiline fled Rome that evening.
• Following a senatorial debate in which Cato the Younger advocated for the death penalty and Julius Caesar opposed it, Cicero initiated the execution of the conspirators. 
• He famously announced their deaths to the public with the words “vixen” (“they are dead”), earning widespread applause and the title of “father of his country” from Catulus.
• This pivotal moment in Cicero’s career became a cornerstone of his political appeal for “concord between the classes,” emphasizing unity among the Roman people.

ALLIANCE WITH THE FIRST TRIUMVIRATE

• Cicero’s political journey during this period was marked by a series of decisions and events. He initially rejected Caesar’s invitations to join the First Triumvirate in 60 and a position on Caesar’s staff in Gaul in 59.
• When Cicero angered Publius Clodius, who became tribune in 58, he fled Rome in fear for his safety, as Pompey failed to support him.
• He returned to Rome in 57, thanks to Pompey’s efforts.
• Cicero attempted to drive a wedge between Pompey and Caesar during the winter of 57–56 but ultimately aligned himself politically with them in April 56. 
• He made a written commitment to this partnership and announced it in a speech about provincial governance. Despite facing harsh criticism, Cicero gave up on public life, finished writing several works, and defended Milo, who had killed Clodius in 52.
• In 51, Cicero was appointed to oversee the province of Cilicia in Anatolia, where he dealt with the expectation of a Parthian invasion and suppressed local outlaws on Mount Amanus. 
• He returned to Rome after his tenure with a supplication of thanksgiving but without a triumph.
• As Caesar and Pompey vied for dominance, Cicero faced a challenging choice. He met with Pompey in January 49 and agreed to assist in recruitment in Campania but did not leave Italy with Pompey in March. 
• He met with Caesar later and outlined his own terms, despite knowing that Caesar’s foes might have targeted him if they had won the subsequent battles.
• Throughout this period, Cicero’s decisions and actions were influenced by the political turmoil and the shifting alliances among key figures in Roman politics.

LAST MONTHS OF CICERO

• Cicero was not involved in the plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on March 15, 44, and he wasn’t present in the Senate when it occurred. 
• Instead, he returned to Rome in August and delivered a series of 14 speeches known as the Philippics, starting on September 2, 44, and ending on April 21, 43. 
• In these speeches, Cicero aimed to leverage Octavian, Caesar’s adopted son (future Emperor Augustus), and pressure the Senate to declare war on Mark Antony, who had been involved in the events following Caesar’s assassination.
• Cicero’s strategy involved using Octavian while pushing for a confrontation with Antony. However, Octavian’s actions and alliances shifted, leading to Cicero’s eventual flight from the law when the Second Triumvirate, consisting of Octavian, Antony, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, was established in October. 
• Cicero’s earlier statement praising Octavian but suggesting his disposal likely contributed to his downfall. 
• He was captured and executed in December, and his head and hands were displayed on the rostra at the Roman Forum.
• Throughout his political career, Cicero tended to exaggerate the virtues of his friends and criticize his rivals. 
• He was never fully accepted by the dominant Optimates faction in Roman politics because he lacked noble blood, and he attributed his political setbacks in part to their complacency and jealousy. 
• Cicero also struggled to establish close political connections with Pompey. While he recognized the need for a strong individual to stabilize the republic, he had a limited understanding of the fundamental flaws in Roman republican democracy. 
• Despite his willingness to compromise on certain principles, Cicero remained committed to preserving the Roman Republic.

LETTERS AND POETRY

• More than 900 letters from Cicero’s correspondence between 67 and July 43 BCE have been preserved. 
• Of the 835 letters he wrote himself, 416 were addressed to the knight Titus Pomponius Atticus, who served as his friend, publisher, and financial advisor, and 419 were sent to one or more of his 94 different friends, acquaintances, and family members. 
• Clearly, the number represents a very minor part of the letters that Cicero sent and received.
• The Pro Sulla and Pro Plancio both make reference to Cicero sending Pompey an account of how Catiline’s conspiracy was put down, but this narrative has not survived. Pompey barely acknowledged it, and Cicero was later made fun of in public for it. 
• Following Cicero’s passing, it appears that many letters were concealed for political reasons.
• There are four collections of the letters: one to Brutus (Ad Brutum), one to Atticus (Ad Atticum), one to his friends (Ad familiares), and one to his brother (Ad Quintum fratrem). 
• The letters make up a main historical source that is unique to the ancient world and does not exist anywhere else. 
• However, he was capable of misremembering or misrepresenting prior events in order to boost his own reputation. His recounting of events is, therefore, obviously not objective.
• Although Cicero is a minor figure in the history of Latin poetry, he is by no means insignificant. His most well-known compositions, On His Consulship (the epics De consulatu suo) and On His Life and Times (De temporibus suis), were mocked in antiquity for their excessive self-praise and are now only fragments. 
• Technically speaking, Cicero made improvements to the hexameter, employed words with two or three syllables at the end of lines to align the natural word accent with the meter’s beat, and employed rhetorical techniques in his poetry. 
• He is one of those who contributed to Virgil’s success.

ORATORY

• Cicero built his reputation as an orator in politics and the courts, often representing the defense and making persuasive speeches. He was known for his emotive abilities and the use of rhetoric to sway audiences.
• Unlike some of his contemporaries, such as Quintus Hortensius and Caesar, who had distinctive oratorical styles, Cicero did not align with a specific school of oratory. 
• He was trained by Molon of Rhodes, who emphasized versatility and the ability to blend different styles.
• Cicero paid close attention to the rhythms and cadences of his speeches, often using balanced phrases and complex but clear structures in his speeches. 
• He is credited with inventing the “periodic” style, which became influential in Latin writing. 
• Cicero’s rhetoric was considered a sophisticated art form, and his audience appreciated its impact. 
• While 58 of his speeches have survived (some only partially), it is believed that 48 others have been lost over time.
• In his work “Brutus,” Cicero implicitly describes the tools of his oratory: a strong foundation in philosophy, legal knowledge, historical expertise, humor, the ability to invoke various emotions, and the skill to focus on the topic at hand. 
• His speeches were marked by humanitas, making them enduring and valuable. Cicero’s humor was sharp, as seen in his mocking of the Stoics and criticism of individuals like Clodia. 
• He could incite rage or sympathy in his audience, depending on the context. In the case of Pro Cluentio, he demonstrated a strategy to undermine evidence and sway the jury, often using clever tactics to make his case.

PHILOSOPHY

• Cicero had a strong philosophical foundation, studying under prominent philosophers from various schools of thought, including Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Academic skepticism. 
• He preferred probability over certainty in his theory of knowledge, allowing for conflicts in his writings.
• In ethics, Cicero leaned toward Stoicism but drew authority from Socrates. While he typically wrote as a theist, his work “Scipio’s Dream” stands as a rare instance of religious exaltation.
• Starting around 54 BCE, Cicero began writing “De Republica” and followed it with “De Legibus” in 52 BCE. 
• These works aimed to interpret Roman history through Greek political theory. Cicero’s philosophical writings, produced primarily between 45 and 44 BCE, covered a wide range of topics, including the lost “De Consolatione” (inspired by his daughter’s death), “Academica” (arguing for the suspension of judgment), “De Finibus” (exploring pleasure, virtue, and complexity), and “De Officiis” (discussing moral obligation). 
• Cicero did not claim originality in these works, as his goal was to provide Rome with a comprehensive intellectual resource, drawing from various philosophical schools such as Stoicism, Academic skepticism, Epicureanism, and Peripateticism.
• He employed the dialogue format, inspired by Aristotle and Heracleides Ponticus, to spread Greek philosophy and contribute to the development of European intellectual thought. Cicero played a crucial role in introducing Greek philosophy to Rome and Europe, shaping the intellectual lexicon of his time. 

Cicero Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Cicero across 28 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about the Cicero. Cicero’s exceptional oratory earned him the title of the greatest Roman orator and the founder of what is now recognized as Ciceronian eloquence.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Cicero Facts
2. Life of Cicero
3. Legal Cases
4. The First Oration Against Catiline
5. Artistry Unveiled
6. Wisdom for Today
7. Explore Catilinarian Conspiracy
8. Your Own Speech
9. Legal Triumph
10. Bridge Past and Present
11. Senate’s Defender

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Cicero?

Cicero, full name Marcus Tullius Cicero, was a Roman statesman, orator, philosopher, and lawyer who lived from 106 BC to 43 BC. He is widely regarded as one of Rome’s greatest orators and a key figure in the late Roman Republic.

What were Cicero’s most famous speeches?

Cicero delivered many famous speeches during his career, including the “In Catilinam” orations, which were a series of speeches denouncing the conspiracy of Catiline, a Roman senator planning a coup. His “Philippics” were a series of speeches against Mark Antony, and his defense of Roscius in the “Pro Roscio Amerino” is also notable.

What role did Cicero play in Roman politics?

Cicero held various political offices, including consul, and was known for his support of the Roman Republic and the rule of law. He was a prominent figure in the struggle between Julius Caesar, Pompey, and the Senate, advocating for constitutional government. However, he was eventually caught in the political turmoil and executed in 43 BC during the Second Triumvirate.

What is Cicero’s contribution to philosophy?

Cicero made significant contributions to Roman philosophy by popularizing Greek philosophy in Rome. He translated and interpreted the works of Greek philosophers, particularly Stoicism, in his writings. His essay “On the Republic” and “On the Laws” are some of his philosophical works that discuss political theory and ethics.

How did Cicero’s writings influence later generations?

Cicero’s writings, particularly his speeches and philosophical works, had a lasting impact on Western thought and rhetoric. His ideas on governance, justice, and the importance of the rule of law influenced political thinkers, and his rhetorical principles continued to be studied and admired by scholars and orators throughout history. Many Renaissance thinkers and Enlightenment philosophers found inspiration in Cicero’s writings.

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