Quintilian

Born around AD 35 in Calagurris in Hispania, Quintilian was educated in Rome and went on to build a distinguished career there as an advocate and teacher of rhetoric. Ancient sources and standard reference works describe him as one of the leading teachers of eloquence in imperial Rome.

His most famous work, the Institutio Oratoria, is a wide-ranging guide to the training of an orator, from early childhood through mature public life. More than a manual of speaking techniques, it reflects his belief that the ideal speaker should also be a morally serious person, which helped give the book a lasting reputation.

Quintilian’s influence reached far beyond his own time. His writing became important again in the Renaissance and has continued to matter to readers interested in public speaking, literary criticism, and the history of education.