Quintus Mucius Scaevola Augur

Quintus Mucius Scaevola Augur (c. 169 – 88 BC) was a politician of the Roman Republic and an early authority on Roman law. He was first educated in law by his father (whose name he shared) and in philosophy by the stoic Panaetius of Rhodes.

Scaevola was made tribune in 128 BC, aedile in 125, and praetor in 121, in which capacity he acted as governor of Asia. Upon his return to Rome the following year he faced a charge of extortion brought by Titus Albucius (probably on personal grounds) which he successfully defended. In 117, he was elected consul.^[1]

In his old age, Scaevola vigorously maintained his interest in the law and in the affairs of Rome. He also passed on his knowledge of law to some of Rome's most celebrated orators, as the teacher of Cicero^[2]^[1] and Atticus. In 88 BC, he defended Gaius Marius against Sulla's motion to have him named an enemy of the people, saying that he would never agree to have this done to a man who had saved Rome.

Cicero used the persona of his old master as an interlocutor in three works, his De Oratore, De amicitia, and De republica. This usage places Scaevola as a member of the Scipionic Circle.

^ ^a ^b du Plessis, Paul J. (2016). Cicero's Law: Rethinking Roman Law of the Late Republic. Edinburgh University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4744-0882-0. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
^ Etxabe, Julen, ed. (2021). A Cultural History of Law in Antiquity. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-4742-1285-4. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

[du_Plessis-1] u Plessis, Paul J. (2016). Cicero's Law: Rethinking Roman Law of the Late Republic. Edinburgh University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-1-4744-0882-0. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

[2] Etxabe, Julen, ed. (2021). A Cultural History of Law in Antiquity. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 171. ISBN 978-1-4742-1285-4. Retrieved February 21, 2024.

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