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Primary sourceSpeech80 BC

Pro Roscio Amerino

Cicero · 80 BC

Cicero's first major criminal defence speech, delivered in 80 BC, defending a man accused of murdering his father during the dictatorship of Sulla.

This was Cicero's first major criminal case, showing his early courage in confronting the allies of Sulla.

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Manuscript page on vellum with handwritten Latin text in brown ink, a red rubricated title reading 'Cicero pro Sex. Roscio Oratio', and a large illuminated initial C in blue, gold and red with pink and green foliage decoration along the left and bottom margins.
Copy of Cicero's Pro Roscio Amerino in a 15th-century Italian manuscript codex.

About this source

What it is

Pro Roscio Amerino is a defence speech delivered by Cicero in 80 BC on behalf of Sextus Roscius, accused of murdering his father. It was Cicero's first major public case. The manuscript page shown comes from a 15th-century Italian codex, a later copy made long after Cicero's lifetime.

Why it matters

The speech shows a young Cicero taking on a politically dangerous case, implicating Chrysogonus, a powerful freedman of the dictator Sulla, in corrupt dealings during the proscriptions. Scholars note that only Cicero's version of events survives, so the speech reveals as much about his skill at persuasion as about the actual facts of the case. It marks the start of his rise as a bold public advocate.

Look closer

  • Why might Cicero have taken a risk defending someone connected to a case against Sulla's allies?
  • Since we only have Cicero's side of the story, how should we read his claims about Chrysogonus and the proscriptions?
  • What might this case tell us about law and power in Rome during Sulla's dictatorship?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Cicero on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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