1000 Classical Characters Briefly Described

Who was Iphigenia? What did Cincinnatus do? A thousand gods, heroes and tyrants of the classical world, each explained in the time it takes to read a text message.

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Archias

A. Licinius Archias, a Greek poet, born at Antioch in Syria, about B. C. 120, came to Rome in 102, and was received in the most friendly way by the Luculli, from whom he obtained the gentile name of Licinius. He was enrolled as a citizen at Heraclea in Lucania; and as this town was united with Rome by a foedus, he subsequently obtained the Roman franchise in accordance with the lex Plautia Papiria passed in B. C. 89. In 6I he was accused of assuming the citizenship illegally. He was defended by his friend M. Cicero in the extant speech Pro Archia, in which the orator, after briefly discussing the legal points of the case, rests the defense of his client upon his merits as a poet, which entitled him to the Roman citizenship.

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