Mark Antony Orator

Marcus Antonius Orator ( Latin "the orator"; * 143 BC ; † 87 BC ) was a Roman politician from the Antonian family and one of the most outstanding speakers of his time.

He began his cursus honorum as quaestor in 113 BC. BC and was 102 BC. Chr. The praetor with proconsular powers for the province of Cilicia selected. During his tenure in the East, Antony fought the pirates ostensibly with such great success that the Senate gave him the opportunity in the autumn of 100 BC. A triumphal procession granted. In 99 BC He was elected consul together with Aulus Postumius Albinus , in 97 BC. He became a censor . During the argument between Gaius Marius and Sullasupported Mark Antony the latter. His partisanship cost him his life, as he was killed by Marius and Lucius Cornelius Cinna when they were killed in 87 BC. BC Rome occupied.

In addition to his political career, he appeared before Roman courts of law as an intermediary defense attorney or prosecutor. His reputation as an eloquent speaker lasted until the time of Cicero , who made Antonius appear as the protagonist of his great dialogue De oratore ( About the Speaker ). Yet none of Antony's speeches survived.

Marcus Antonius Orator had a daughter Antonia and two sons, Marcus Antonius Creticus and Gaius Antonius Hybrida . Creticus was the father of the general and triumvir Marcus Antonius .

literature

• Werner Suerbaum : M. Antonius. In: Werner Suerbaum (Ed.): The archaic literature. From the beginnings to Sulla's death (= Handbook of Ancient Latin Literature , Volume 1). CH Beck, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-406-48134-5 , pp. 505-510
• Elimar Klebs : Antonius 28) . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 2, Stuttgart 1894, Col. 2590-2594 (outdated).