Gregory Aldrete

So a lot of people like that imagery.

So a lot of people like that imagery.

So a lot of people like that imagery.

Cicero was a new man. So he's someone who didn't have famous ancestors. So he was at a disadvantage. And I think Cicero is really interesting for a couple of reasons. One is he wrote an incredible amount. I think we have almost more words from Cicero than any other author that survived. And it's all kinds of stuff. It's philosophical treatises. It's books about how to be a good public speaker.

Cicero was a new man. So he's someone who didn't have famous ancestors. So he was at a disadvantage. And I think Cicero is really interesting for a couple of reasons. One is he wrote an incredible amount. I think we have almost more words from Cicero than any other author that survived. And it's all kinds of stuff. It's philosophical treatises. It's books about how to be a good public speaker.

Cicero was a new man. So he's someone who didn't have famous ancestors. So he was at a disadvantage. And I think Cicero is really interesting for a couple of reasons. One is he wrote an incredible amount. I think we have almost more words from Cicero than any other author that survived. And it's all kinds of stuff. It's philosophical treatises. It's books about how to be a good public speaker.

He published volume after volume of his personal letters to his friends. He published these things. So there's tons of stuff from him. And secondly, he's interesting because he lived at this incredibly important time in the late republic when things were falling apart. But he seems to have been born with none of the natural advantages that all these other people had. So he was a lousy general.

He published volume after volume of his personal letters to his friends. He published these things. So there's tons of stuff from him. And secondly, he's interesting because he lived at this incredibly important time in the late republic when things were falling apart. But he seems to have been born with none of the natural advantages that all these other people had. So he was a lousy general.

He published volume after volume of his personal letters to his friends. He published these things. So there's tons of stuff from him. And secondly, he's interesting because he lived at this incredibly important time in the late republic when things were falling apart. But he seems to have been born with none of the natural advantages that all these other people had. So he was a lousy general.

He didn't come from a wealthy family. He didn't come from a famous aristocratic family. He didn't have a lot of these advantages, but yet he ended up being right at the center of things, rose to the highest elected office in the Roman state on the basis of one skill, and that was his ability with words, his ability to get up in front of a crowd and persuade them of what he wanted them to believe.

He didn't come from a wealthy family. He didn't come from a famous aristocratic family. He didn't have a lot of these advantages, but yet he ended up being right at the center of things, rose to the highest elected office in the Roman state on the basis of one skill, and that was his ability with words, his ability to get up in front of a crowd and persuade them of what he wanted them to believe.

He didn't come from a wealthy family. He didn't come from a famous aristocratic family. He didn't have a lot of these advantages, but yet he ended up being right at the center of things, rose to the highest elected office in the Roman state on the basis of one skill, and that was his ability with words, his ability to get up in front of a crowd and persuade them of what he wanted them to believe.

And oratory, public speaking, was absolutely central to life at Rome. There were just all these events where people had to get up and give speeches. So in courtrooms, at funerals, in the Senate, to the people of Rome, at games. I mean, just constantly there were these opportunities for giving speeches. So if you were good at this, that was a huge advantage in your political career.

And oratory, public speaking, was absolutely central to life at Rome. There were just all these events where people had to get up and give speeches. So in courtrooms, at funerals, in the Senate, to the people of Rome, at games. I mean, just constantly there were these opportunities for giving speeches. So if you were good at this, that was a huge advantage in your political career.

And oratory, public speaking, was absolutely central to life at Rome. There were just all these events where people had to get up and give speeches. So in courtrooms, at funerals, in the Senate, to the people of Rome, at games. I mean, just constantly there were these opportunities for giving speeches. So if you were good at this, that was a huge advantage in your political career.

And Cicero was the best. He was arguably the best public speaker of all time, some people claim. And he lived right in this era, and he parlayed that skill with words into this very successful political career. He was one of the guys involved with all this stuff with Caesar and Pompey and all the other things going on, Octavian, Mark Antony.

And Cicero was the best. He was arguably the best public speaker of all time, some people claim. And he lived right in this era, and he parlayed that skill with words into this very successful political career. He was one of the guys involved with all this stuff with Caesar and Pompey and all the other things going on, Octavian, Mark Antony.

And Cicero was the best. He was arguably the best public speaker of all time, some people claim. And he lived right in this era, and he parlayed that skill with words into this very successful political career. He was one of the guys involved with all this stuff with Caesar and Pompey and all the other things going on, Octavian, Mark Antony.

Yeah. I mean, one of the things Cicero did is he wrote at least three of these sort of handbooks about how to be a good public speaker. So we know a lot about that. We have his own speeches that survive, and then we have later people after Cicero who wrote about what Cicero did too. So we know a lot about what he did.

Yeah. I mean, one of the things Cicero did is he wrote at least three of these sort of handbooks about how to be a good public speaker. So we know a lot about that. We have his own speeches that survive, and then we have later people after Cicero who wrote about what Cicero did too. So we know a lot about what he did.