ASCLEPIADES 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2007 Salve! Maybe Marcus Tullius Cicero was not a New Man after all; the first recorded plebeian consul of the gens Tullia was Marcus Tullius Decula at 81 BC (673 AUC), 18 years before Cicero. Here comes Appian, Bellum Civilis Book I, Ch. XI, sec. C: "Nevertheless, as the form of the republic remained he allowed them to appoint consuls. Marcus Tullius and Cornelius Dolabella were chosen. But Sulla, like a reigning sovereign, was dictator over the consuls." However, it's always possible that they were from different families. It has been very difficult to find any information about MT Decula. Does somebody have any positive reference about the potential familiar relationship between these two consuls? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Primus Pilus 10 Report post Posted September 4, 2007 Cicero doesn't claim any blood connection. Cic. de LegAgr II.14'35 and really only mentions him in passing. In the same work (as well as many others) he clearly claims to be a novus homo. (I fortuitously stumbled across this text while looking for the reference to Decula.) (de LegAgr. II.3) We can be fairly certain that if Cicero had consular heritage in his direct family, we would've known about it, and in fact his political drive for importance and acceptance may have been altered. If only the nomen mattered Cicero could've claimed lineage to Servius Tullius (the 6th King) and M. Tullius Longus (cos c.500 BC). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ASCLEPIADES 0 Report post Posted September 4, 2007 (edited) Cicero doesn't claim any blood connection. Cic. de LegAgr II.14'35 and really only mentions him in passing. In the same work (as well as many others) he clearly claims to be a novus homo. (I fortuitously stumbled across this text while looking for the reference to Decula.) (de LegAgr. II.3) We can be fairly certain that if Cicero had consular heritage in his direct family, we would've known about it, and in fact his political drive for importance and acceptance may have been altered. If only the nomen mattered Cicero could've claimed lineage to Servius Tullius (the 6th King) and M. Tullius Longus (cos c.500 BC). Gratiam habeo, PP. IOU another. Edited September 4, 2007 by ASCLEPIADES Share this post Link to post Share on other sites