Citizenship in the Mirror: Cicero, the *Pro Archia* Poet, and the Issues at Stake

This book thus offers a comparative study of Roman citizenship and Congolese nationality. It highlights the legal foundations that, both in the past and today, make it possible to establish an individual's identity and their belonging to a nation. In Rome, citizenship was based on specific criteria: origin, the legal acquisition of citizenship, domicile, an oath taken before the competent authority, as well as certain distinctive markers such as the tria nomina-the praenomen, nomen, and cognomen-which characterized Roman citizens. Similarly, Congolese law sets forth the conditions for acquiring nationality through descent, naturalization, marriage, or other mechanisms provided for by law.