Μᾶρκος Κορνήλιος Φρόντων ὁ Ῥήτωρ (Marcus Cornelius Fronto the Rhetorician)

Life Marcus Cornelius Fronto was a Roman orator and rhetorician of the 2nd century CE, born in Cirta, Numidia [1]. He rose to prominence in Rome, where he was appointed tutor in rhetoric to the future emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus [1][2]. His close relationship with Marcus Aurelius is documented in their extensive correspondence [1]. Fronto was celebrated for his archaizing Latin style, which favored obsolete vocabulary, and he served as suffect consul in 142 CE [1][2].

Works Fronto’s works, lost after the 6th century, were rediscovered in a palimpsest manuscript in the 19th century [1][2]. The surviving corpus consists primarily of his correspondence (Epistulae) with Marcus Aurelius and others, which is his most significant work [1][2]. It also includes rhetorical treatises such as De orationibus and De eloquentia, the exercise Laudes fumi et pulveris, the declamation Arion, and fragments of his orations [1][2].

Significance Fronto is historically significant for the intimate view his correspondence provides of the Antonine court and the pedagogical values of the era [1][2]. He was the central proponent of an archaizing movement in Latin literature, advocating a return to pre-Ciceronian style [1][2]. His rediscovery after a millennium of obscurity greatly amplified his importance [1].

Sources 1. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcus-Cornelius-Fronto 2. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org/Marcus_Cornelius_Fronto/