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Marcus Porcius Cato, the Elder |
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Marcus Porcius Cato was one of the legendary figures of Roman literature and history. He is important to literature as the founder of Roman history and the man who, according to Columella, taught agriculture to speak Latin. What has come down to present-day readers from his De agri cultura (ca. 160 B.C.) represents the first surviving piece of Latin prose. His severity in adhering to the morality of the old (pre-Punic Wars) Republic in administering his office as "Censor" set a standard that virtually defined the office and caused him to be known to the present day as "Cato the Censor." He is also called Cato Maior (Cato the Elder) to distinguish him from his great-grandson, the first-century philosopher Cato Uticensis (95-46 B.C.). Thanks to his political career, more of his life is known than that of many other minor literary figures, largely through Cornelius Nepos, Plutarch, and the fourth-century A.D.
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