A Ciceronian exemplum: Cicero’s Self-Portrait as Provincial Governor through his Letters

Author: Díaz Fernández, Alejandro
Title: A Ciceronian exemplum: Cicero’s Self-Portrait as Provincial Governor through his Letters
Review/Collection: in : Berno, Francesca Romana & La Bua, Giuseppe, Portraying Cicero in Literature, Culture, and Politics: From Ancient to Modern Times [Berno & La Bua 2022] Volume 4 in the series CICERO (funded by Patrum Lumen Sustine-Stiftung (PLuS)
Place edition: Berlin, Boston
Editor: De Gruyter
Year edition: 2022
Pages: 33-60
Keywords: Biographie - Biografia - Biography
Description: Building essentially upon Cicero’s private correspondence, Alejandro Díaz Fernández explores Cicero’s experience as governor of the province of Cilicia (52–51 BCE), interpreted as a good example of provincial administration in late Republic. Through an accurate reading of the letters, it appears that Cicero depicted himself as the ideal governor, exercising his power with aequitas, continentia and moderatio. Cicero offered his deeds as models of political virtue. Within this process of self-canonization Cicero eulogized his governorship as an exemplary case of virtuous administration, radically opposed to past provincial commands and the praetorship in Asia held by his brother Quintus (Q. fr. 1.1). In presenting himself as a positive model and blaming predecessors for their negligence and irresponsibility, Cicero championed a Stoic-sounding ideal of governance sharing canonical elite virtues and showing lenience towards the provincial population. [editor].
Works:
Link: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110748703-005/pdf
Author initials: Díaz Fernández 2022