The Scipionic Circle, or the Circle of Scipio, was a group of

philosophers A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, poets, and politicians patronized by their namesake,

Scipio Aemilianus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Aemilianus (185–129 BC), known as Scipio Aemilianus or Scipio Africanus the Younger, was a Roman general and statesman noted for his military exploits in the Third Punic War against Carthage and during the ...

. Together they would discuss Greek culture, literature, and humanism. Alongside their philhellenic disposition, the group also had a more humane Roman foreign policy. The term was first derived during the 19th century and ubiquitously adopted by scholars of the early 20th century.The Oxford Classical Dictionary
/ref> The collection of members varied during its existence, from 15 names of the early period, to 27 in its middle to 10 in its final. Contemporary academia regards the concept of the "Scipionic Circle" with suspicion.

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

is the primary source on the subject in his works ''

De amicitia ''Laelius de Amicitia'' (or simply ''De Amicitia'') is a treatise on friendship ('' amicitia'') by the Roman statesman and author Marcus Tullius Cicero, written in 44 BC. Background The work is written as a dialogue between prominent figures of ...

'' and ''

De republica ''De re publica'' (''On the Commonwealth''; see below) is a dialogue on Roman politics by Cicero, written in six books between 54 and 51 BC. The work does not survive in a complete state, and large parts are missing. The surviving sections derive ...

''. Cicero's construction bestows an unsupported unity between Scipio's friends. If there ever was such a unity it would be between Panaetius and the more philosophically-inclined members of the collective. In addition to a dependence on these works of Cicero, within these two works Cicero creates two different circles. Among other problems brought up by academics, two of the most prominent members of the group,

Terence Publius Terentius Afer (; – ), better known in English as Terence (), was a Roman African playwright during the Roman Republic. His comedies were performed for the first time around 166–160 BC. Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, brought ...

and

Panaetius Panaetius (; grc-gre, Παναίτιος, Panaítios; – ) of Rhodes was an ancient Greek Stoic philosopher. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon and Antipater of Tarsus in Athens, before moving to Rome where he did much to introduce Stoic do ...

, could not have met as Terence had died prior to Panaetius arriving in Rome.

In ''
De re publica ''De re publica'' (''On the Commonwealth''; see below) is a dialogue on Roman politics by Cicero, written in six books between 54 and 51 BC. The work does not survive in a complete state, and large parts are missing. The surviving sections deriv ...
''

Main speakers: *

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

of Rome in 147 BC and 134 BC. * Gaius Laelius Sapiens, consul of Rome in 140 BC. Senior speakers: *

Lucius Furius Philus Lucius Furius Philus was a Roman statesman who became consul of ancient Rome in 136 BC. He was a member of the Scipionic Circle, and particularly close to Scipio Aemilianus. As proconsul, his allotted province was Spain. The consul of the previous ...

, consul of Rome in 136 BC. *

Manius Manilius Manius Manilius (fl. 155149 BC) was a Roman Republican orator and distinguished jurist who also had a long military career. It is unclear if he was related to the Manius Manilius who was degraded by Cato the Censor for embracing his wife in broad d ...

, consul of Rome in 149 BC. *

Spurius Mummius Spurius Mummius was a Roman soldier and writer. He was a legatus of his brother Lucius Mummius in Corinth in 146 BC and 145 BC and a close friend of Scipio Aemilianus. This friendship garnered his entrance into the Scipionic Circle The Scipionic Ci ...

, satirist and soldier. Younger speakers: * Quintus Aelius Tubero, tribunate in 130 BC. *

Publius Rutilius Rufus Publius Rutilius Rufus (158 BCafter 78 BC) was a Roman statesman, soldier, orator and historian of the Rutilia ''gens'', as well as a great-uncle of Gaius Julius Caesar (through his sister Rutilia, Caesar's maternal grandmother). He achieved the ...

, consul of Rome in 105 BC; fought alongside Scipio during the

Numantine War The Numantine WarThe term Numantine War can refer to the whole conflict lasting from 154 to 133 or to just the latter part, from 143 to 133. Thus, the two conflicts are sometimes called the Numantine Wars (plural) and subdivided into the First an ...

. * Quintus Mucius Scaevola Augur, consul of Rome in 117 BC. *

Gaius Fannius Gaius Fannius (fl. 2nd century BC) was a Roman republican politician who was elected consul in 122 BC, and was one of the principal opponents of Gaius Gracchus. He was a member of the Scipionic Circle. Career Gaius Fannius was the son of Marcus F ...

, consul of Rome in 122 BC. Having younger speakers illustrates "the Roman penchant for training the youth by having them listen to respected members of the previlous generation, as in De oratore".''Cicero and the Development of Prudential Practice at Rome'', by Robert W. Cape Jr. from ''Prudence''. Ed. Robert Hariman. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003. - Page 53.

In '' De oratore''

This dialogue takes place in 129 BC, "in the aftermath of the turbulent reform politics of

Tiberius Gracchus Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus ( 163 – 133 BC) was a Roman politician best known for his agrarian reform law entailing the transfer of land from the Roman state and wealthy landowners to poorer citizens. He had also served in the Roma ...

and shortly before Scipio's untimely and mysterious death." Senior Speakers: * Quintus Mucius Scaevola Augur, who "provides an important link between the two dialogues, a young man in De re publica and an old man, the father-in-law and teacher of Crassus, in De oratore."

Other members

, Carthaginian-born playwright. *

Gaius Lucilius Gaius Lucilius (180, 168 or 148 BC – 103 BC) was the earliest Roman satirist, of whose writings only fragments remain. A Roman citizen of the equestrian class, he was born at Suessa Aurunca in Campania, and was a member of the Scipio ...

, the earliest Roman satirist. *

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

, a Greek historian. *

Panaetius of Rhodes Panaetius (; grc-gre, Παναίτιος, Panaítios; – ) of Rhodes was an ancient Greek Stoic philosopher. He was a pupil of Diogenes of Babylon and Antipater of Tarsus in Athens, before moving to Rome where he did much to introduce Stoic doc ...

, the seventh and final

Stoic Stoic may refer to: * An adherent of Stoicism; one whose moral quality is associated with that school of philosophy * STOIC, a programming language * ''Stoic'' (film), a 2009 film by Uwe Boll * ''Stoic'' (mixtape), a 2012 mixtape by rapper T-Pain * ...

scholarch A scholarch ( grc, σχολάρχης, ''scholarchēs'') was the head of a school in ancient Greece. The term is especially remembered for its use to mean the heads of schools of philosophy, such as the Platonic Academy in ancient Athens. Its fir ...

References

{{reflist Political thought in ancient Rome Roman-era philosophy

In ''De re publica ''De re publica'' (''On the Commonwealth''; see below) is a dialogue on Roman politics by Cicero, written in six books between 54 and 51 BC. The work does not survive in a complete state, and large parts are missing. The surviving sections deriv ...''

In '' De oratore''

Other members

References

In ''
De re publica ''De re publica'' (''On the Commonwealth''; see below) is a dialogue on Roman politics by Cicero, written in six books between 54 and 51 BC. The work does not survive in a complete state, and large parts are missing. The surviving sections deriv ...
''