Cicero's Letters

The Nicholson article about the issues surrounding the delivery of Cicero's letter detailed how an individual letter encountered a variety of obstacles on its way to delivery. It was insightful because I have not considered the circumstances surrounding how a letter could be lost, manipulated, or intercepted by hostile forces. My main response to the article was the thought of how astounding it is that we have so many letters and how their topics are so varied when many wanted Cicero dead. I was also impressed with Nicholson's thorough examination of how many factors could contribute to a letter not ending up at its intended destination.

The letter I focused on was 63, which discusses dinner with soldiers. The most striking aspect of this letter is the fusion of public and private life. The personal details of Cassius Balba are mingled with not only the backdrop of Saturnalia, but also the 2000 soldiers supposedly crammed into his small villa. It is also noteworthy that the talk supposedly did not get into politics despite the presence of the soldiers. Overall, I see the letter as one which succinctly exposes many of the themes which we found in the letters: politics, personal details, daily life, and the interaction of familar characters.

Chris Copley

P.S. (in a very unrelated note, just like many of the letters which we read) A friend of mine from my time at the American Academy of Rome in 2006 posted a fantasic picture, the Aenied Facebook style!

I apologize in advance if this takes up too much space but I promise that it is worth it!

Edit: I can't seem to get the whole picture on the page but clicking on it will link you to a page where you can zoom in and see the entire thing.