The Cicero-Appius reconciliation and Pompey’s pivotal role as mediator

Abstract The intricacies of the relationships between Roman aristocrats in the age of Cicero has been one of the most popular topics of discussion in modern scholarship. Cicero’s letters have drawn considerable attention as an invaluable source for the study of amicitiae in the late Roman republic. Nevertheless, the methods that Cicero and his contemporaries used to reconcile with their former enemies is an area that remains rather unexplored. This paper aims to shed light on the significance of letter writing as a medium for the reconciliation between Romans with an active public life and to underscore the role that mediators played in the conciliatory efforts that both parties made to restore their relationship chiefly in the public eye. The investigation focuses on Cicero’s well-attested reconciliation with Appius Claudius Pulcher. It argues that, while it was not the first instance in which Pompey instigated a reconciliation between two of his allies, its uniqueness lies in the ingenious and complex use of letter writing to effect and maintain their renewed relationship as well as in the combination of frankness and tactful manoeuvring in Cicero’s letters to him.