Abstract

The article deals with problems connected with the interpretation of fragments transmitted as quotations. An introduction about the types of context and the levels of contextualization specified in communication theory is followed by an analysis of two verses of Ennius quoted by Cicero, and their treatment in our critical editions. It will be asked, in which ways readers reconstruct the meaning of the de-contextualized utterance, and which kinds of „context“ they use as arguments. The investigation will show the impact of their decisions on the supposed meaning of the quoted fragment as well as on the assessment of Cicero as the quoting author.