Conclusion

As early as the third century B.C. Roman historians had begun to employ the techniques of fiction to create compelling tales out of the unadorned scraps of information handed down to them from earlier generations. Drawing on recognizable personae and familiar narrative patterns, they transformed the bare names and scanty records associated with the earliest days of the city into a rich historical tapestry, illustrating the triumph of Roman virtue over the challenges that were faced from within and without. This study has shown the degree to which Cicero engaged in a similar, although not identical, kind of embellishment. By