The article analyses Cicero's rhetorical conception of historical writing, as exposed in De Oratore's second book. One argues that Cicero's comprehension of history as a construction of deeds and words emphasizes both its rhetorical character and its commitment to truth. According to Cicero only a prudent orator is able to create a text which may be called "history", a text which simultaneously delights and produces lessons of virtue to his readers and listeners.
historiography; rhetoric; Cicero