Marcus Tullius Cicero Speeches on Behalf of Marcus Fonteius and Marcus Aemilius Scaurus: Translated with Introduction and Commentary

by Dyck, Andrew R.

• ISBN13: 9780199590063
• ISBN10: 0199590060
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-07-26
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Besides his renowned prosecution of Gaius Verres, Cicero also appeared as defence counsel in a number of cases in which former governors were accused of misconduct in the provinces. This volume unites two such defences, both incompletely preserved, from an early phase of Cicero's career (ca. 69 BC) and from his maturity (54 BC). The first speech is on behalf of Marcus Fonteius. Fonteius was governor of Transalpine Gaul probably from 74 to 72 BC, a time when the Romans were consolidating their control of that province and simultaneously fighting a bitter war with rebels under Sertorius in the Iberian Peninsula. Cicero defends Fonteius with the argument that his measures, though severe, were in the state interest. The second speech is on behalf of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, governor of Sardinia in 55, whose charges included not only peculation but also cruelty and hounding a woman to suicide through his unwanted attentions. In both cases Cicero seeks to stir Roman prejudice against the foreign witnesses testifying for the prosecution. The outcome of Fonteius' case is not clear from surviving evidence, but Scaurus was acquitted, only to be condemned and exiled on charges of corrupt electoral practices three years later. Dyck's volume provides a general introduction on the Roman extortion court and, for each speech, an introduction, English translation, and the first detailed commentary in English.

Author Biography

Andrew R. Dyck is Professor Emeritus of Classics, University of California, Los Angeles

Table of Contents

List of Maps
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. The Extortion Court (quaestio de repetundis): Function and History
2. A Note on the Translations
On behalf of Marcus Fonteius
Introduction
1. The Romans and Transalpine Gaul
2. Fonteius Career to 74
3. Fonteius Governorship of Gaul
4. The Prosecution
5. Cicero s Defence
6. The Outcome
7. The Surviving Text
Translation
Commentary
On behalf of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
Introduction
1. Sardinia: From Carthaginian Colony to Roman Province
2. The Aemilii Scauri in Roman Society and Politics
3. The Roman plebs and the Grain Supply
4. Cicero s Political Position between the Council of Luca and the Defence of Scaurus
5. The Trial of Scaurus
6. The Surviving Text
Translation
Commentary
Appendix 1: Chronological Table
Appendix 2: The Text
Glossary of Political and Ethical Terms
Glossary of Rhetorical Terms
Maps
References
Index