Cicero (Great Lives from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory-476)
Early Life
Marcus Tullius Cicero (SIHS-ur-oh), the elder son of Marcus Tullius Cicero and Helvia, was born a few miles from Arpinum, a small town in Latium, southeast of Rome. Long established in the district, his family had, like many other Roman families, a rather undignified source for its name: Cicer is Latin for chickpea, or garbanzo. According to one story, “Cicero” originated as the nickname of a wart-nosed ancestor. The Tullius clan was of equestrian, or knightly, rank—that is, they were well-to-do but their members had never served in the senate. Cicero...
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