and executed in late 43 BC while attempting to escape Italy for safety. His severed hands and head were then displayed on the Rostra. Cicero's hands and head were taken by order of Antony and displayed to represent the repercussions of his anti-Antonian actions (notably his Philippicae) as a writer and as an orator respectively.

Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited for