The story of Marcus Tullius Cicero and the fall of the Roman Republic is, by now, well-worn ground for both the academic historian and popular storyteller alike. Despite this, in his latest volume, Lawless Republic, Josiah Osgood presents a fresh perspective on the fall of the Roman Republic and the breakdown of the established legal norms within the period. Tracking the career of famous orator, lawyer, and politician, Marcus Tullius Cicero, Osgood uses the career of this ever-engaging figure to pass on a wider message about the use and abuse of legal structures by those in power. Adopting a different form from the traditional biography, Osgood places Cicero in the role of the main character in the struggle against the breakdown of both legal and moral norms in the period from the dictatorship of Lucius Cornelius Sulla (82 BC) to the date of Cicero’s death in 43 BC. Although Cicero takes centre stage within the work, it could be argued that he is not the star of the show; At best, he is the supporting actor. This volume skilfully guides the reader to the conclusion that the breakdown of convention and the morals to which Cicero holds dear is the central aspect of Osgood’s work.

For classroom use, this volume would be an excellent accompaniment to the OCR A level Classical Civilisation course. Covering not only the same period but also using Cicero as the crux of the volume (as the A level specification does), this would provide ample opportunity to use Osgood not only as a scholar in the exam (which is part of the specification) but also as additional reading through the course itself. The volume not only helps with scholarship at A level but will also allow students to visualise the concept of the Roman law court. P.7 gives the reader a schematic depiction of a law court, and this allows learners to visualise the setting of the famous trials which Cicero partakes in. In addition, there are maps which detail the Roman Forum, Sicily, and Roman provinces in Gaul. These would be useful for helping students to better understand the visual aspects of the provinces for the entire A level module Belief and Idea in the Roman Republic. The volume would make a perfect foil for the A level module, as it tackles some of the key foci of the OCR specification. The content page would provide a useful guide to key themes which teachers could use to help guide students through the complex legal trials. Chapter Two concerns the trial of Sextus Roscius on the charge of patricide, an early career case for Cicero and one which gave him the foundations of a career. This chapter in particular (pp. 37–55) uses Roman legal terms which the entire cohort will find useful.

Osgood argues that the Roscius trial shows Cicero standing up for the rule of law after the turmoil of the civil war. In recent years, Cicero’s trials as a representation of the wider malaise which has beset the Republic has been a theme on the exam. The volume also works well as support for that premise.

Chapter three, in particular, would be a vital piece of reading for this theme, examining the trial of corrupt provincial governor, Gaius Verres. The chapter goes into great detail about the workings of the Roman law court and the manner in which Cicero wins this case. I could see this being a standard piece of pre-reading to be used as a ‘flipped learning’ activity when covering this topic.

Not only will these specific chapters help with the study of the A level, but the entire work has much to offer when thinking about the fall of the Republic. As Osgood points out in the penultimate chapter of the work, a truism of the Republic was that ‘without law, there was no limit on revenge’ (p. 306), as the legal boundaries of the state struggle under the burden of violence and competition. Cicero himself fell victim to the violence which he had fought against but also indirectly supported during his career (killing the Catalinarian Conspirators to defend the state in 62 BC and supporting the murder of Caesar in 44 BC). At the heart of Cicero’s career is also the question of whether he was hypocritical when it suited him; this is something for which Osgood does not press, but I feel gives the reader the chance to make up their own mind on the subject.

Overall, this is a fine volume with a fresh perspective on a well-known figure and well-known period of Roman history. It would make an excellent classroom text at A level and give students the chance to engage with high-level scholarship concerning Cicero’s political career and his struggle against the dissolving structure of the Republic.