Lysias was the leading Athenian speech-writer of the generation (403-380 BC) following the Peloponnesian War, and his speeches form a leading source for all aspects of the history of Athenian society during this period. The speeches are widely read today, not least because of their simplicity of linguistic style. This simplicity is often deceptive, however, and one of the aims of this commentary is to help the reader assess the rhetorical strategies of each of the speeches and the often highly tendentious manipulation of argument. This volume includes the text itself (reproduced from Carey's OCT and apparatus criticus), with a facing translation. Each speech receives an extensive introduction, covering general questions of interpretation. In the lemmatic section of the commentary, individual phrases are examined in detail, providing a close reading of the Greek text. To maximize accessibility, the Greek lemmata are accompanied by translation, and individual Greek terms are mostly transliterated. This is the first part of a projected multi-volume commentary on the speeches and fragments, which will be the first full commentary on Lysias in modern times.

A commentary on the first eleven speeches of the Athenian orator Lysias, based on a close reading of the Greek text. The volume includes the text itself (reproduced from Carey's new Oxford Classical Text), extensive introductions to each of the speeches, and a detailed commentary on individual phrases.

Lysias’ 21st speech “On a charge of taking bribes” is an important example of Attic oratory that sheds significant light on Classical history and society. Delivered after the restoration of democracy in 402 B.C.E., this speech provides information that is critical for our understanding of the relationship between the Athenian demos and aristocrats, Athenian civic institutions (e.g., taxation, liturgies and conscription), religious beliefs, moral values, political behavior, and, in particular, of the legal and rhetorical treatment of embezzlement and bribery. It also supplies unique information about the military engagement of the Athenians at Aegospotami and the role of Alcibiades in the political life of Athens. Despite its importance, however, Lysias’ speech has never been the subject of an extensive study in its own right. This volume seeks to fill that gap by presenting the first systematic commentary on this speech. The author puts much emphasis on its structure, strategy, and argumentation, focusing especially on the tension between the actual practices of the anonymous client of the logographer and civic ideals invoked in the present case. The book is intended to be of interest to classicists, ancient historians and political theorists, but also to the general reader.

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