- Byname:
- Cato The Censor, or Cato The Elder
- Born:
- 234 bc, Tusculum, Latium [Italy]
- Died:
- 149
Marcus Porcius Cato
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Who was Marcus Porcius Cato?
Marcus Porcius Cato, born in Tusculum, Latium, in 234 BCE, was a Roman statesman, orator, and the first important Latin prose writer. A man of plebeian origin, Cato's stern morality and skills in oratory and law caught the attention of Lucius Valerius Flaccus, a patrician who helped him start his political career in Rome.
As censor, Cato aimed to preserve the mos majorum ("ancestral custom") and fought against Greek influences, believing they undermined older Roman standards of morality. Cato’s writings include Origines, the first history of Rome in Latin, and De agri cultura (On Farming), the oldest remaining complete Latin prose work. He died in 149 BCE, the same year war was declared on Carthage, a city whose destruction he had advocated for years.
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What was Marcus Porcius Cato known for in ancient Rome?
Marcus Porcius Cato (234–149 BCE) was a Roman statesman, orator, and the first important Latin prose writer. Born of plebeian stock, he rose to prominence through his oratorical and legal skills, as well as his rigid morality.
Cato is known for his conservative and anti-Hellenic policies, opposing the pro-Greek ideas of the Scipio family. As censor, he aimed to preserve traditional Roman customs and combat Greek influences, believing they undermined Roman morality. Cato also implemented measures taxing luxury and revising the list of Senate members. His most famous saying was, "Carthage must be destroyed" ("Delenda est Carthago"), reflecting his conviction that Carthage posed a threat to Rome.
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What important government positions did Cato hold?
Marcus Porcius Cato, also known as Cato the Censor, held several significant government positions in ancient Rome during his career as a Roman statesman.
Cato's important government positions:
* Quaestor Cato was elected quaestor in 205 BCE. As quaestor, he would have been responsible for managing financial and administrative matters.
* Aedile Cato was elected aedile in 199 BCE.
* Praetor In 198 BCE, Cato was elected praetor and served in Sardinia, where he worked to suppress usury.
* Consul Cato was elected consul in 195 BCE, alongside Lucius Valerius Flaccus. During his consulship, he opposed the repeal of the Lex Oppia, a law that restricted extravagance among women. He also led a military campaign in Spain.
* Censor Perhaps one of his most well-known roles was censor, to which he was elected in 184 BCE, again with Flaccus. As censor, Cato was responsible for maintaining the census, assessing property, and overseeing public morals. He was known for his strict adherence to traditional Roman values and his efforts to combat what he saw as the negative influence of Greek culture.4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Cato influence Roman laws and morals?
Marcus Porcius Cato aimed to preserve the mos majorum ("ancestral custom") and combat Greek influences, which he thought undermined Roman morality. As censor, he taxed luxury and revised Senate eligibility. Cato checked tax collector abuses and promoted public building.
After his censorship, Cato preached social doctrines and supported measures against luxury and female financial freedom. His policies, especially his anti-Hellenic ones, were considered too reactionary and lacked support.
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Why did Cato famously oppose the city of Carthage?
Cato the Elder, a Roman statesman, famously opposed Carthage because he feared its resurgence after the Second Punic War. He believed Carthage's growing prosperity posed a threat to Rome. Cato relentlessly advocated for its destruction, ending every speech with "Carthago delenda est" — "Carthage must be destroyed". His conviction, fueled by the desire to protect Rome's interests, eventually contributed to the Third Punic War and Carthage's obliteration.
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How did Cato's ideas and actions impact Roman history after his death?
Marcus Porcius Cato, known for his traditional values and opposition to Greek influences, aimed to preserve ancestral Roman customs. Although his policies were considered too reactionary and lacked broad support, Cato's censorship left a mark on later generations.
After his term as censor, Cato continued advocating his social doctrines and supported measures against extravagance and female financial freedom. His warnings about Carthage led to its destruction. Cato's writings, including Origines and De agri cultura, greatly influenced Latin literature and provided insights into Roman life and capitalistic farming.
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Marcus Porcius Cato (born 234 bc, Tusculum, Latium [Italy]—died 149) was a Roman statesman, orator, and the first Latin prose writer of importance. He was noted for his conservative and anti-Hellenic policies, in opposition to the phil-Hellenic ideals of the Scipio family.
Cato was born of plebeian stock and fought as a military tribune in the Second Punic War. His oratorical and legal skills and his rigid morality attracted the notice of the patrician Lucius Valerius Flaccus, who helped him begin a political career at Rome. Cato was elected quaestor (205), aedile (199), and praetor (198) in Sardinia, where he suppressed usury. He was elected consul with Flaccus in 195, and as consul he unsuccessfully opposed the repeal of a measure restricting female extravagance (Lex Oppia). Then, in an extensive and bitter military campaign, he stamped out an insurrection in Spain and organized the province of Nearer Spain. In 191 Cato served with distinction under Manius Acilius Glabrio at Thermopylae in the war against the Seleucid king Antiochus III. Shortly thereafter he included Glabrio in his denunciation of the supporters of the Scipios. He then attacked Lucius Scipio and Scipio Africanus the Elder and broke their political influence. This success was followed by his election to the censorship in 184, again with Flaccus as his colleague. (The censors were twin magistrates who acted as census takers, assessors, and inspectors of morals and conduct.)
As censor Cato aimed at preserving the mos majorum (“ancestral custom”) and combating all Greek influences, which he believed were undermining older Roman standards of morality. He passed measures taxing luxury and strictly revised the list of persons eligible for the Senate. He checked abuses by the tax gatherers, and he promoted much public building, including the Basilica Porta (the first market hall in Rome). Cato’s censorship impressed later generations but was too reactionary; his anti-Hellenic policies, in particular, were retrograde and lacked wide support. His sternness as censor made him so many enemies that he later had to defend himself 44 times against various accusations and attempted prosecutions.
After his term as censor, Cato continued to preach his social doctrines and to support such measures as the Lex Orchia against luxury (181) and the Lex Voconia (169), which checked the financial freedom of women. In his later years he turned to capitalistic farming, speculation, and moneylending on a considerable scale. His embassy to Carthage (probably 153) convinced him that the revived prosperity of Rome’s old enemy constituted a new threat. Cato constantly repeated his admonition “Carthage must be destroyed” (“Delenda est Carthago”), and he lived to see war declared on Carthage in 149.
Cato’s dislike of luxury and ostentation partly explains his deep hatred of the Scipio family. He himself affected rustic manners and speech, though he was witty and deeply learned. Cato’s influence on the growth of Latin literature was immense. He was the author of Origines, the first history of Rome composed in Latin. This work, of whose seven books only a few fragments survive, related the traditions of the founding of Rome and other Italian cities. Cato’s only surviving work is De agri cultura (On Farming), a treatise on agriculture written about 160 bc. De agri cultura is the oldest remaining complete prose work in Latin. It is a practical handbook dealing with the cultivation of grape vines and olives and the grazing of livestock, but it also contains many details of old customs and superstitions. More important, it affords a wealth of information on the transition from small landholdings to capitalistic farming in Latium and Campania. Cato also compiled an encyclopaedia and Praecepta (“Maxims”) for his son, in addition to works on medicine, jurisprudence, and military science. Of at least 150 speeches he published, only meagre fragments of about 80 survive.