In Pro Archia Poeta, Cicero implied that Archias, a resident of Heraclea, might have qualified for citizenship under the Lex Julia and Lex Plautia Papiria, 1 but chose instead to base his defense on Archias' status as a heralded Roman poet. This chapter reviews the historical circumstances of Archias' trial, and then discusses the speech itself and some of the issues it raises, especially that of why the encomium of literature is included, and how it contributes to the defence. The notes to section 27 could offer more help with Fulvius non dubitavit Martis manubias Musis consecrare. He thereby helps us to read and to teach it in light of Ciceros careful staging of his public face(s) and against the background of the Late Republics whirlwind years. He assumed the names of Aulus and Licinius, the last out of compliment to the Luculli, and Cicero had been for some time a pupil of his, and had retained a great regard for him. Name: Reading guide for Cicero's Speech in Defense of the Poet Archias (on Blackboard) Note: The defendant's birth name is Archias (a Greek name), Cicero refers to him as Aulus Licinius, the name he took once he moved to Italy and attained Roman citizenship. This plea for Archias may man of Rome, a man of high birth, a sol- be divided thus: dier of no mean capacity, and an orator of mi I. Cicero's reasons for undertaking the unusual success. First, Archias was a literary man, a poet, and this is a factor which was potentially prejudicial to the defence. This was a suitable house for a member of the nobility, as Cicero now was, and it would, incidentally, have been one of the ones frequented by Archias in the 90s, having been the residence then of M. Drusus (Vell. Cicero mentions three benefits of literature: literature provides refreshment for the spirit and repose for the senses; it provides Cicero with inspiration for his daily speeches and therefore strengthens his oratorical powers; and it contains moral lessons and provides examples to contemplate and to emulate. The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books. Historical Background of Cicero's Oration, "The Citizenship of Archias Cicero states that poets have a natural gift and that Ennius called poets holy. American Archias: Cicero, Epic Poetry, and The Souls of Black Folk Module 4 Assignment.pdf - The Twelve Tables 1. The Themistocles is cited as an example, but then we have the surprising sentence ( 20):It was for the same reason that Marius was so fond of L. Plotius: he thought that his achievements could be made famous by Plotius talent (Itaque ille Marius item eximie L. Plotium dilexit, cuius ingenio putabat ea quae gesserat posse celebrari). It is the encomium of literature, however, for which Pro Archia is read and remembered, and which makes this speech a particular favourite among readers for whom the cut and thrust of late Republican politics is not a primary concern. Readability remains the aim of the text offered to the student. Stripped to its essentials, the argument runs as follows:If I have any talent, experience in speaking, or technical skill in oratory derived from training in the liberal arts, then Archias has a strong claim on it. In the Fourth Verrine, for example, when he is dealing with Verres theft of art treasures, he affects to be unable to recall the name of the famous sculptor Polyclitus (Verr. Aulus Licinius Archias | Greek poet | Britannica After this, Cicero goes on to declare that poets are divinely inspired, and hence sacred. Etenim omnes artes quae ad humanitatem pertinent habent quoddam commune vinclum et quasi cognatione quadam inter se continentur. First, Cicero must be exaggerating Archias youth: he has just told us that the people of Tarentum, Rhegium, and Neapolis had honoured him with their citizenship, and it is inconceivable that they should have done this if he was still a boy. The brief introduction (Section B) includes the background of the trial, defense strategy, date, outcome (probably acquittal), and an outline of the speech. 9.2.612). Poetry, Latin: From the Beginnings through the End of the Roman Italy, 4th Century bce to 3rd Century ce, Theoderic the Great and Ostrogothic Italy, Transmission of Greek and Latin Literature. 5.7 (April 62 bc) shows him seeking to form closer ties with Pompey. 3.15.6), and we have from Plutarch the attractive story of how Pompey and Cicero invited themselves round to Lucullus house for dinner, and how he tricked them into thinking that he dined on the most lavish scale even when eating alone (Luc. The sententious and lyrical language in which the point is made effectively proves the point ( 16): Nam ceterae neque temporum sunt neque aetatum omnium neque locorum; at haec studia adulescentiam acuunt, senectutem oblectant, secundas res ornant, adversis perfugium ac solacium praebent, delectant domi, non impediunt foris, pernoctant nobiscum, peregrinantur, rusticantur. This chapter examines the influence of Cicero's ancient defense of the poet Archias on the structure of Du Bois's argument in defense of full civil rights and access to liberal education for African Americans. Even if we had not been informed by the scholia (175 Stangl), we would, I think, have been able to tell that the praetor in question is Ciceros brother Quintus. But Ciceros technique is not simply one of flattery. So much for the historical circumstances; I now turn to examine the speech itself The structure is, in its main divisions, extremely straightforward. BMCR provides the opportunity to comment on reviews in order to enhance scholarly communication. Cicero boldly connects military success and regard for poets. In some cases, however, the ascriptions read not justArchias butArchias the grammatikos,Archias of Macedon,Archias of Byzantium,Archias of Mytilene, and Archias the younger. Others can more ably comment on the editions success in that regard. At the risk of waxing biographical, as a Biology major at UC Berkeley I switched camps to Classics/CompLit largely because of Brian Krostenkos intermediate Latin course on Vergil: by drawing students attention to the Aeneids interconnection of language and theme, he gave life to the focus on Latin grammar and Vergilian hexameter. Plut. We can infer this from the reticent tone Cicero feels it necessary to adopt in other speeches when he is discussing subjects with any kind of intellectual content. Treating the jury as intellectuals also serves to reduce the apparent cultural distance separating them and Archias: during the trial, Cicero, Archias, and the jury will all be literary men together. So let the name of poet, gentlemen, which no barbarian race has ever treated with disrespect, be a sacred name among you, the most enlightened of men. First we have Alexander at Sigeum, desiderating a Homer who could write of his achievements. Obviously, it will take . Consequently this passage, though it might formally be termed digressio, is, like other digressions in Ciceros speeches, central to the case. The passage on literature in general ends with 17. His connections were not, however, limited to the Catuli and the Luculli. In his speech defending Archias-the Pro Archia-Cicero argues that Archias was a Roman citizen. Thus he became a Roman citizen, calling himself in the Roman fashion, A. Licinius Archias, the nomen Licinius being adopted out of respect for his patrons the Luculli. First some nuts and bolts. On the political aspect see further Gruen and Stockton (cited n. 12), the former making too much of and the latter too little of the trials political significance. But the argument is nevertheless misleading because it leaves the impression, for example by the reference totechnical skill in oratory (huiusce rei (referring to exercitatio dicendi) ratio), that Archias actually taught Cicero rhetoric. Archias had become eligible for Roman citizenship under the Lex Iulia de Civitate Latinis Danda, passed in 90 BC, and the Lex Plautia Papiria de Civitate Sociis Danda, passed in 89 BC. The Pro Archia, or, to give it its full (and translated) name, the Speech on Behalf of Aulus Licinius Archias the Poet, is a speech given by the Roman orator Cicero, in defence of Archias on the charge of falsely claiming to be a Roman citizen. 28), The measures which I, jointly with you, undertook in my consulship for the safety of the empire, the lives of our citizens, and the common weal of the state, have been taken by my client as the subject of a poem which he has begun; he read this to me, and the work struck me as at once so forcible and so interesting, that I encouraged him to complete it. The ArT of CiTizenship - ejournals.bc.edu The 6-foot-4, 251-pounder with a 79-inch wingspan and 4.63 speed had 3 1/2 sacks and nine tackles for loss last season with the Tigers. Here Cicero was confronted by a marked xenophobic and anti-intellectual prejudice, one with which he and his brother had no sympathy, but which was prevalent among the jury. There he said that he intended to prove first that Archias is a Roman citizen, and secondly that, were he not a citizen, he ought to be one. Aulus Licinius Archias, (born c. 120 bc, Antioch, Syria [now Antakya, Turkey]), ancient Greek poet who came to Rome, where he was charged in 62 bc with having illegally assumed the rights of a Roman citizen. He was born at Antioch in Syria probably in the mid-120s, and at an early age became famous throughout the East as a professional poet.4 It is likely that at around this time some of his poems were anthologized by Meleager for his Garland, and the Greek Anthology contains thirty-seven epigrams attributed to a poet with the nameArchias. [3] Due to political unrest, Archias, while yet a mere youth, left Antioch and travelled around the major cities of Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy, in each of . Law of the Twelve Tables | Roman law | Britannica In this part he turns his attention specifically to poetry and to Archias, and argues that both are useful to society. The tone of the passage is philosophical; but it is popular philosophy of a straightforward nature, designed to reassure rather than intimidate the jury. The exordium ends ( 4a) with a statement of what Cicero intends to prove: (i) that Archias is a Roman citizen, and (ii) that, were he not a citizen, he ought to be one (and ought therefore to be acquitted). In 2 Cicero decides to meet head-on the objection that Archias is not a rhetor: Ac ne quis a nobis hoc ita dici forte miretur, quod alia quaedam in hoc facultas sit ingeni neque haec dicendi ratio aut disciplina, ne nos quidem huic uni studio penitus umquam dediti fuimus. Ciceros main point here is that Archias poem honours not just Lucullus but the Roman people as well: this is meant to show that Archias is useful to the Roman people, and so ought to be cherished by them. To begin with, he was a Syrian by birth, a Greek-speaker from the eastern edge of the Empire. He is however certain the judges have received it gladly: quae a foro aliena iudicialique consuetudine et de hominis ingenio et communiter de ipsius studio locutus sum, ea, iudices, a vobis spero esse in bonam partem accepta, ab eo, qui iudicium exercet, certo scio. If he can somehow imply that Archias trains advocates, then that will give a much more favourable impression than saying that he merely provides instruction in Greek poetry. Cicero: Pro Archia Poeta Oratio - Google Books But the Luculli were aristocrats in the fishpond class (Att. Cf. Arch. Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, Expand or collapse the "related articles" section, Expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section, Art and Archaeology, Research Resources for Classical, Bilingualism and Multilingualism in the Roman World, Bronze Age Aegean, Death and Burial in the. Clearly Cicero is not thinking only of poetry at this point:scriptores et Graeci et Latini (the Greek and Latin writers) would apply equally to prose historiography or biography, genres which some members of the jury may personally have considered more valuable and worthwhile, or less reprehensible, than poetry. The legal argument now being triumphantly concluded, it might be assumed that Ciceros defence is over. Archias career is recounted up as far as his arrival in Rome in 102; Cicero impressively manages to connect him with both the consuls of that year, Marius and Catulus. It ends with a curious reference to the praetor in charge of the court ( 32): quae a foro aliena iudicialique consuetudine et de hominis ingenio et communiter de ipso studio locutus sum, ea, iudices, a vobis spero esse in bonam partem accepta, ab eo qui iudicium exercet certo scio. But more fundamentally, Ciceros words convey the impression that Archias was already a Roman citizen. Cicero immediately takes us into a world of intelligent culture in which he and Archias play a part, and in which the jury are flattered into fancying that they also belong. (PDF) The Art of Citizenship: Roman Cultural Identity in Cicero's Pro The authority of these great Romans (all were consuls and two were also censor) wins Cicero his point after all; the technique is the same as that used at 6. If Cicero had wished to be less ambiguous he could have said:When I was a child, Archias was my tutor in Greek poetry, and I benefited from his teaching. Grattius, of course, has already delivered his speech, and has not asked such a question, but the question gives Cicero an excuse to embark upon his digression and, later, to parade Archias virtues. Gotoff, H. C. Ciceros Elegant Style: An Analysis of the Pro Archia, Urbana, Illinois (1979). Thus in the last (hopelessly corrupt) sentence of section 5, C. informs us of a textual crux but maintains focus upon the meaning of the sentence as printed. Were it not for his study of literature, he says, he would never have stood up to Catiline. But even if he has, the jury may still feel reluctant to acquit Archias, because they are prejudiced against him. For centuries it has been seen as a charming encomium of literature, and it would be wrong to deny that it is that. Also, teachers hoping to touch upon the basics of prose rhythm will miss the absence of vowel quantities in the vocabulary. 2 In this context, Cicero asserted that even lawyers lack a proper education, unless they possess a . After this he quickly moves on to less controversial territory. Archias's defense was undertaken by a former pupil of his, the previous year's Consul, Marcus Tullius Cicero. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. Indeed, I myself when serving as a magistrate, have always kept these men before my eyes, and have modelled myself on them, heart and mind, by meditating on their excellences. He applied the three techniques that were expected of ancient oratory: pathos (emotional persuasion), ethos (credibility persuasion), and logos (logical persuasion). First, whatever the jurors private views on poetry and culture, it is nevertheless flattering for them to be treated as intellectuals, as a select group of people who are well educated and superior to the common herd (cf. 12.73); Cic. With 259 selections made, the league's teams will soon begin figuring out how to fit all of these puzzle pieces together. It was, in short, beneath the consideration of a Roman. It argues that Pro Archia is an exercise in persuasion. It is one of the best. Cicero emphasizes the stature of those who gave patronage to Archias by altering the usual word order. Cicero does not bother to mention the further censuses of 65 and 64, since the jury would be aware that they too had been abandoned. In 13 he contrasts his own study of literature with the frivolous amusements of others: if others devote their spare time to the games, to parties, and dice, why should he not devote his to a pursuit which, he repeats, enables him to defend people in court? He does not have documentary proof that Archias is a citizen of Heraclea, he says, because the public record office at Heraclea was burnt down in the Social War and all the records destroyed;19 but he can nevertheless produce M. Lucullus as a witness to Archias enrolment, and an official deputation has been sent from Heraclea with a written statement confirming Archias claim. Here, however, Cicero does need to explain briefly why Archias was never included in a census: that of 89 was abandoned, and when censuses were held in 86 and 70 he was each time accompanying L. Lucullus on campaign in the East. This twofold pattern of argument is a common one in Cicero, and is found most famously in Pro Milone:Milo did not set out deliberately to kill Clodius; but had he done so, it would have been justified.18 In Pro Archia, the first stage of the argument (enstasis) occupies 4b11, while the encomium of literature, occupying 1230, is formally the second stage (antiparastasis). The Art of Citizenship: Roman Cultural Identity in Cicero's Pro Archia When he does choose to discuss an intellectual subject at length, in Pro Murena, he begins, as we have seen, by flattering the jury on their erudition, and then proceeds to describe the Stoic school of philosophy in a way which first of all assumes no prior knowledge whatsoever, not even the name of the founder, and secondly serves merely to reinforce, for his own ends, the jurys anti-intellectual prejudices.21 Cicero was to admit, many years later, that the jury that heard Murenas case were an ignorant lot (Fin. Si quid est in me ingeni, iudices, quod sentio quam sit exiguum, aut si qua exercitatio dicendi, in qua me non infitior mediocriter esse versatum, aut si huiusce rei ratio aliqua ab optimarum artium studiis ac disciplina profecta, a qua ego nullum confiteor aetatis meae tempus abhoruisse, earum rerum omnium vel in primis hic A. Licinius fructum a me repetere prope suo iure debet. He'll need an impressive summer to enter the defensive end . The poet was originally Greek but had been living in Rome for an extended period of time. Cicero's Defense of Archias, Political Motives in, 62-70 Cognate Accusative Relative Clauses in Greek, 281-288 College (The) of Quindecim-viri (Sacris Faciundis) in 17 B. C., 289-294 Constitution (The) of the Five Thousand, 189-198 COPLEY, FRANK O. Catullus 55, 9-14, 295-297 Covenant, Hannibal's, 1-2 PAGE Cretan Heroic Poetry and Homer: A Study . It was in 62 that Cicero sought to improve his social position (Att. 1.79)). Key facts about Americans and guns | Pew Research Center His method of dealing with this prejudice is to include a lengthy passage on literature which presents Archias and his poetry in terms which the jurors will find unobjectionable, and perhaps even praiseworthy. (one sentence). There were examples of this in our fathers time, the younger Africanus, a godlike man, and C. Laelius and L. Furius, men of the greatest moderation and self-control, also the elder M. Cato, a most valiant man and the most learned of his day. He makes it out to be not an exclusive or intellectual subject, but something practical and useful to society. In Pro Lege Manilia, admittedly a speech to the people, he pretends to be only vaguely aware that Athens was once a great sea power (Leg. as for the part of my speech which was out of keeping with the Forum and the tradition of the courtswhen I discussed my clients talents and literary studies in generalI hope that this has been received in good part by you, gentlemen, as I know it has been by the man who is presiding over this court. He does, it is true, make an exception for the Greeks of Achaea, who could point to a more distinguished, if remote, past, and lived closer to Rome. For a short speech defending a man of relatively little importance on a charge of no great gravity, the reader of Ciceros Pro Archia is well-served with a broad range of Latin texts, English translations, and commentaries approaching the speech from a variety of angles (literary, historical, legal, and philological). He reinforces that proposition through the alliteration of Mars, manubiae, and the Muses: the language demonstrates the idea. But the study of literature sharpens youth and delights old age; it enhances prosperity and provides a refuge and comfort in adversity; it gives enjoyment at home without being a hindrance in the wider world; at night, and when travelling, and on country visits, it is an unfailing companion. 41.36). Quaeres a nobis, Grati, cur tanto opere hoc homine delectemur. Cicero's 'Pro Archia Poeta' - UGA As for his declaration before the praetor Metellus, Cicero produces the citizen lists which Metellus compiled, argues for their accuracy, and points to the name of A. Licinius. P. MacKendrick on the other hand, divides it into four parts, 1217a, 17b22, 237, and 2830.24 Without wishing to dispute either of these schemes, I prefer myself to divide the passage into just two basic parts. This is done in the briefest way possible: Cicero simply says that Greek is spoken virtually everywhere whereas Latin is not, and it is desirable that all the nations that Rome has conquered should be able to read of her glory. He therefore declared himself before his friend the praetor Q. Metellus Pius and obtained Roman citizenship. He uses dramatic rhetoric to discredit the case of his opponent, Grattius,[3] whom he here names. Great stress is laid, for example, on ita, sic, or tam preceding a result clause, or on the use of demonstrative pronouns to anticipate relative clauses, as in section 4: ab eis artibus quibus aetas puerilis ad humanitatem informari solet. Pointing out such features crucially nudges students beyond the beginners tendency to atomize Latin into discrete, unconnected units and instead gets them to read longer sentences as coherent structures. Porter (cited n. 14) 140 f.; MacKendrick (cited n. 16) 110 f. Cf. This would be an ideal moment to demonstrate (and to explain) the artistry of Ciceros language. First there is the genuine sense of gratitude he felt towards his old teacher ( 1), a factor which should not be cynically denied. Cicero describes that his personal connection to Archias is through his writings. 3. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on Cicero came to his former teacher's defense at his trial in 62 BC, only months after delivering the famous Catiline Orations. Nat. I beg of you that you will grant me an indulgence in this trial which is appropriate to this defendant here, and, I trust, not disagreeable to youthat you will allow me, speaking as I am on behalf of an eminent poet and a most learned man and before this crowd of highly educated people, this civilized jury, and such a praetor as is now presiding, to speak rather more freely on cultural and literary matters, and, as befits the character of a man who because of his life of seclusion and study has had very little to do with the hazards of the courts, to employ a somewhat novel and unconventional manner of speaking. He does so by presenting poetry in a particular way likely to appeal to his audience. If I have any natural talent, members of the juryand I am aware how limited it is; or if I have any experience in public speakingin which I do not deny that I am moderately well practised; or if there is any technical skill in my oratory which has been derived from application and training in the liberal artsand I admit that I have never at any period of my life been averse to such training: if I do have any of these capabilities, then A. Licinius here is entitled almost as of right to be among the very first to claim from me the benefits which they may bring. (2001) How to Make (and Break) a Cicero: Epideixis, Textuality, and Self-fashioning in the, Nesholm, E.J. Catulus was an enthusiast for Greek culture, and admitted Archias to his circle. In the narratio, the facts are very simply stated. In 1516 Cicero considers the objection that many of the great Romans of old were not themselves lovers of literature. Cicero's Pro Archia - Classics - Oxford Bibliographies - obo It will also give him a much larger pool of examples on which to draw, including the actor Q. Roscius Gallus ( 17), the rhetorician L. Plotius Gallus ( 20), and the historian Theophanes of Mytilene ( 24), none of whom would otherwise be relevant to his argument. In 62 B.C.E., the poet Archias, Marcus Tullius Cicero's childhood tutor, faced prosecution based on the tribunal law of Gaius Papius, which expelled non-Roman citizens from Rome. NFL Draft 2023 winners and losers: Eagles, Seahawks get stronger The Lex Iulia granted Roman citizenship to all citizens of municipia on the Italic peninsula, provided they had not fought against Rome in the Social War. H. C. Gotoff asserts that the reference iseither jocular or tasteless, and adds:Perhaps the best way to understand the reference to his brother is to take it together with Ciceros decision to speak in a style more epideictic than usually deemed effective in the law courts, and to assume that the orator had reason to be confident from the start in the outcome of the trial.32 This suggestion cannot be accepted, because a praetor in charge of a court had no means of determining or influencing a jurys verdict; this is why in his speeches Cicero addresses himself to the jury, and generally ignores the praetor. The text which Cicero later published as his Pro Archia attracts most scholarly attention for the so-called Encomium of Literature that Cicero delivers to convince the jury that Archias has contributed more than enough to the Republic to earn his citizenship. Some features of this site may not work without it. Cicero was always aware of the importance of entertaining and amusing his audiences, and he won them over partly by providing them with passages they would derive pleasure from listening to. 4). Again, in outlining the content of Platos Phaedo in Pro Scauro, he implies that he has not read the work, and adds, for the jurys benefit, that Plato was a great philosopher (Scaur. Pro Archia Poeta - Wikipedia The extent of upper-class Roman prejudice regarding a mans place of origin is revealed by the fact that, in the year before Archias trial, Cicero himself had been described in the Senate by one patrician as animmigrant citizen (inquilinus civis, Sal.