is a forensic speech by Cicero, given in defence of Aulus Licinius Archias, a Greek poet, in 62 BCE, the year after Cicero held the consulship. Archias was accused by a prosecutor, Grattius (otherwise unknown), of having illegally passed himself off as a Roman citizen, in contravention of the
lex Papia de peregrinis(Papian law concerning aliens). The presiding magistrate was Quintus Tullius Cicero, Cicero’s younger brother. Archias was defended only by Cicero, who secured his acquittal. There is no reason to suppose that the extant speech is different from the speech which Cicero delivered; Cicero presumably published the speech immediately after delivery. It is one of his shortest and least political speeches, and the case was a minor one: a character in Tacitus’
Dialogus…
1016 words
Citation: Berry, Dominic Henry. "Pro Archia". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 February 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=20491, accessed 22 November 2024.]
