Thursday, September 07, 2006

Cicero

I always enjoy reading about Ancient Rome. Anthony Everitt uses many sources to reconstruct the life and times of Cicero. Comparing Ancient Rome to the United States has often been tempting. Cicero is no exception. However, Everitt does remind us of the fact that we shouldn’t judge the past by today’s standards. For example, this is evident when he writes about Cicero’s opinion concerning cruelty at the Coliseum. Cicero was against it, but believed it was admissible to use the arena to punish criminals. I also found his use of religion as a tool for political advancement very interesting. This and many other details of Cicero’s life and times make the book worth reading for the history buff, from beginning to end.
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