Demosthenes, Speeches 60 And 61, Prologues, Letters

by Worthington, Ian

• ISBN13: 9780292713314
• ISBN10: 0292713312
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-12-01
• Publisher: Univ of Texas Pr

Summary

This is the tenth volume in the Oratory of Classical Greece. This series presents all of the surviving speeches from the late fifth and fourth centuries BC in new translations prepared by classical scholars who are at the forefront of the discipline. These translations are especially designed for the needs and interests of today's undergraduates, Greekless scholars in other disciplines, and the general public. Classical oratory is an invaluable resource for the study of ancient Greek life and culture. The speeches offer evidence on Greek moral views, social and economic conditions, political and social ideology, law and legal procedure, and other aspects of Athenian culture that have recently been attracting particular interest: women and family life, slavery, and religion, to name just a few. Demosthenes is regarded as the greatest orator of classical antiquity. This volume contains his Funeral Oration (Speech 60) for those who died in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BC, in which Philip of Macedonia secured his dominance over Greece, as well as the so-called Erotic Essay (Speech 61), a rhetorical exercise in which the speaker eulogizes the youth Epicrates for his looks and physical prowess and encourages him to study philosophy in order to become a virtuous and morally upright citizen. The volume also includes fifty-six prologues (the openings to political speeches to the Athenian Assembly) and six letters apparently written during the orator's exile from Athens. Because so little literature survives from the 330s and 320s BC, these works provide valuable insights into Athenian culture and politics of that era.

Table of Contents

Series Editor's Preface	ix
Michael Gagarin
Translator's Acknowledgments	xi
Ian Worthington
Speech Numbers and Titles	xiii
Series Introduction	xvii
Michael Gagarin
Oratory in Classical Athens	xvii
The Orators	xx
The Works of the Orators	xxiii
Government and Law in Classical Athens	xxv
The Translation of Greek Oratory	xxxii
Abbreviations	xxxiii
Note on Currency	xxxiii
Bibliography of Works Cited	xxxiv
Introduction to Demosthenes	3
Michael Gagarin
Life	3
Works	5
Style	6
Significance	7
Introduction to This Volume	8
Ian Worthington
The Works in This Volume	8
Historical Background to the Funeral Oration and Letters	9
The Erotic Essay and the Prologues	16
Note on the Text	17
DEMOSTHENES	19
Ian Worthington
60. Funeral Oration	21
61. Erotic Essay	38
Prologues	55
Letters 1-6	99
Bibliography for This Volume	135
Index	139