Happy 2130th Birthday Cicero!
Salvete, patres subscripti.
Today (January 3rd) is Cicero’s 2130th birthday! It is also time for the annual update on e-pistulae:
In case you missed it: Cicero died :(
You may have noticed the absence of an e-pistulae post on December 7th, the anniversary of Cicero’s death. I did think about whether his severed head and hands being ‘sent’ to Rome counted as epistolary. But to me, the appeal of e-pistulae is reading about Cicero’s life in his own words. The moment of his death is where that history stops being his. I also wanted to replicate the effect his death would have had on his correspondents—the letters would have suddenly stopped.
But e-pistulae will not stop! Starting in the Spring, I will be reanimating Cicero through his letters again, although this time it will be the Cicero of 58 BCE, when he was exiled from Rome. Look out for some introductory material in the near future, and then e-pistulae: Cicero’s E-xile :-)
Thank you again for reading. Tell your friends and enemies that Cicero will return.
Valete!
Salve, optime Ciceroniane, amice Ciceronis nostri! From the occasion of the 2130th birthday of our Tullius, the international "Nova Roma" society, dedicated to the restoration of classical culture and virtues, an academic and educational and cultural organization of reconstruction and reenactment of the ancient Roman values of Romanitas, would like to invite you to be a citizen (member) by honorary procedure, of our restored res publica, as a gesture form our community to express our admiration for your work. We hold Cicero in the highest esteem and sort of our spiritual founder, and what you do embodies the "Nova Roma" spirit, therefore we would be very happy to call you one of our cca. 5000 "New Roman" citizens, member. If you accept the invitation, please contact us at novaromacontact@gmail.com
Gratias pro operibus tuis, et cura, ut valeas!
Cn. Lentulus, praefectus, aedilician scribe