2025/02/01 by Hirsch, Thierry
paper · doi:10.13135/2532-5353/11642
There has been major disagreement among scholars about the date of composition of the De inventione. Proposed dates range from the late 90s to the early 70s BC. Based on primary sources such as the De inventione and the Brutus, this article provides a detailed reassessment of the question and shows that there are strong reasons to believe that 87 BC is a plausible terminus post quem, that 86-84 BC is the main period of composition, and that the end of composition can be dated to late 84 / early 83 BC.