State of Eternal Rest: Roman Memoria and Ciceronian Otium

This thesis situates Cicero's discussion of otium in his De Oratore within the Roman understanding of memoria. Cicero's presentation of otium, often translated as "leisure," offers the promise of a nation state that thrives without being at war. Chapter One discusses the link between the Roman moral system, the mos maiorum, and a narrative of self-understanding presented through exempla. This chapter defines Roman memoria as the holding place of exempla. Chapter Two will address Cicero’s discussion of memoria in the introduction of his philosophical work, the de Oratore. Finally, Chapter Three will address the type of otium that Cicero models in this dialogue and its influence upon Roman memoria.