Leaders of the Four Hundred in Works of Cicero and His Roman Contemporaries

Abstract

The article analyses references to Pisander, Antiphon, Phrynichus and Theramenes in the writings of Cicero and Nepos. From a historian’s point of view, the accuracy of the Romans’ statements varies greatly and has to be evaluated in each instance separately. The Romans’ opinions concerning the Greek politicians should be judged cautiously, because the Roman writers were not interested in giving an overall assessment of the Athenian oligarchs’ political careers.

Keywords

• Cicero
• Cornelius Nepos
• Roman literature
• reception of Greek culture in Rome
• ancient Greek history
• ancient Greek historiography