Collapse metaphor in Roman political discourse and its legacy

Leonardis, Irene

doi:10.1075/clscc.20.10leo

In:Crises We Live By: A transdisciplinary study of crisis and its metaphors in their cultural context
Edited by Irene Leonardis
[Cognitive Linguistic Studies in Cultural Contexts 20] 2026
► pp. 220–240

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Collapse metaphor in Roman political discourse and its legacy

Irene Leonardis | Thesaurus linguae Latinae, LMU Munich

Published online: 5 February 2026

https://doi.org/10.1075/clscc.20.10leo

Abstract

Ancient Roman political discourse shows various competing metaphors in relation to the so-called “crisis of the Roman Republic” of the I century BC. The metaphor of a collapsing building proves itself particularly fit for conveying the concept of crisis, as it appears to be a conceptual blending, binding together various ideas and images, especially the connected imagery of ruins. This paper aims to show how, during a specific historical moment, such a timeworn metaphor was activated and manipulated by Cicero to convey a personal political message. In addition to proving the historical impact of this rhetorical re-invention of a conceptual metaphor, it supports the idea that crisis metaphors often bear culture-based associations and political implications, and can even influence policy making.

Keywords: political crisis, ancient Rome, Cicero, conceptual metaphors, blending

Article outline

1.Introduction
2.Collapse and ruins: A perfect doublet in crisis discourse
3.Cultural context: Ancient Roman houses and the socio-political implications of collapse metaphors
4.An ancient politician who framed his crisis as the Roman crisis
5.Conclusions: Impact and legacy of Cicero’s collapse metaphor
Notes
References

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