From hostes acerrimi to homines nobilissimi: two studies in the ancient reception of the Social War

The paper explores aspects of the Roman reception of the Social War during the first century BCE. The first study considers the evidence of Cicero, whose references to the war reflect the tensions still surrounding the memories of this conflict as well as the revaluation of the past that took place during a period of rapid political and cultural change. The second analyses the anecdote of Cato the Younger and Poppaedius, also revisiting Lucceius' lost history, which may have played a significant role in formulating a new 'conciliatory' version of the war, focused on Italian demands for citizenship.