Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pro Archia [On Behalf of Archias]

Dominic Henry Berry (University of Edinburgh)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Domains

Rhetoric and Oratory

Dates

First circulation or publication 62

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Resources

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Pro Archia

is a forensic speech by Cicero, given in defence of Aulus Licinius Archias, a Greek poet, in 62 BCE, the year after Cicero held the consulship. Archias was accused by a prosecutor, Grattius (otherwise unknown), of having illegally passed himself off as a Roman citizen, in contravention of the

lex Papia de peregrinis

(Papian law concerning aliens). The presiding magistrate was Quintus Tullius Cicero, Cicero’s younger brother. Archias was defended only by Cicero, who secured his acquittal. There is no reason to suppose that the extant speech is different from the speech which Cicero delivered; Cicero presumably published the speech immediately after delivery. It is one of his shortest and least political speeches, and the case was a minor one: a character in Tacitus’

Dialogus

…

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1016 words

Citation: Berry, Dominic Henry. "Pro Archia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 February 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=20491, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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