Dialogue on Orators

This manuscript will appeal to people who enjoy the ancient Roman period atmosphere and the debate on forgiving inconsistency. Tacitus' Dialogus de oratoribus is a brief philosophical treatise composed in the style of a discussion about the art of rhetoric. It is impossible to pinpoint the exact date of composition. This piece, however, is a tribute to Lucius Fabius Justus and is assumed to have been produced about 102 AD. Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman Empire senator and historian. The book's conversations are set around the 70s AD, continuing in the tradition of Cicero's lectures on philosophical and rhetorical arguments. Set in Curiatius Maternus' mansion, where Marcus Aper and Julius Secundus are discussing recent occurrences. The conversation then moved on to the fourth speaker, Lucius Vipstanus Messalla. This piece starts out with a speech defending poetry and eloquence. Then pertains to the orator's decadence, which is claimed to be the reason for the future orator's decrease in education, both in the household and at school.