M. Tulli Ciceronis Somnium Scipionis (1883)

By Marcus Tullius Cicero

Book Overview

M. Tulli Ciceronis Somnium Scipionis (1883) is a book written by the famous Roman philosopher and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero. The book is a philosophical treatise that explores the nature of the soul and the afterlife. It is set in the form of a dream experienced by Scipio Africanus, a Roman general who lived in the second century BC. In the dream, Scipio is visited by his grandfather, who takes him on a journey through the cosmos and introduces him to various celestial beings. Through these encounters, Scipio learns about the nature of the universe and the role of the human soul in it. The book is considered one of Cicero's most important works and is a seminal text in the history of Western philosophy. It is written in Latin and has been translated into many languages.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1165468190
• ISBN13: 9781165468195
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Lonely Torch of Knowledge

"The Dream of Scipio" is perhaps THE most important link in the NeoPythagorean tradition that survived the book-burnings of the early Church and the Barbarian hordes. Cicero studiously investigated the earlier Pythagoreans, while his books on "Laws" and "The Republic" were modelled on Plato's own books of similar titles. The "Dream of Scipio," at the end of Cicero's "De Republica," is in fact a re-working of the "Vision of Er" in Plato's 'Republic" (with varied elements, of course). The Commentary of Macrobius, on the "Dream of Scipio," luckily ensured its survival through the dismal Dark Ages, when 90 percent of Plato's works simply ceased to exist in medieval Europe.