The Roman Republic of Letters

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This work delves into the intellectual history of the late Roman Republic, focusing on the literary senators of the mid-first century BCE who engaged in fierce debates over Rome's future while navigating a civil war. Katharina Volk examines a time marked by cultural flourishing and political turmoil, where prominent figures like Cicero, Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Cato, Varro, and Nigidius Figulus contributed significantly to Roman scholarship. These senators not only participated in scholarly discourse on philosophy, history, political theory, linguistics, science, and religion but also played pivotal roles in the events leading to the Republic's collapse, often finding themselves on opposing sides during the civil conflict between Caesar and Pompey. Volk posits that the intellectual and political endeavors of these "senator scholars" were intertwined, illustrating how their pursuit of knowledge and statesmanship informed one another. The acquisition and dissemination of knowledge were closely linked to the identity of Romans during this crisis. By connecting the vibrant "republic of letters" of first-century Rome to the struggle over the res publica, Volk's account highlights the complexities of this transformative period.