author
Demosthenes
-384–-322
A fiery voice from ancient Athens, he became famous for speeches that challenged the rise of Macedon and helped define what great public speaking could sound like. His words have survived for more than two millennia as both political argument and literary art.
4 Audiobooks
The Public Orations of Demosthenes, volume 1
by Demosthenes
The Public Orations of Demosthenes, volume 2
by Demosthenes
Puhe kunniaseppeleestä
by Demosthenes
About the author
Born in 384 BCE, Demosthenes was an Athenian statesman and orator who is often remembered as the greatest speaker of ancient Greece. Ancient sources and modern reference works agree that he rose to prominence through powerful public speeches and through his determined opposition to Philip II of Macedon, and later to Macedonian domination more broadly.
His life was marked by struggle as well as achievement. He is traditionally said to have worked hard to overcome early disadvantages in speaking, then built a career in the law courts and the Athenian assembly. The speeches that survive under his name offer a vivid picture of political life in fourth-century BCE Athens and show why later generations treated him as a model of persuasion, discipline, and civic commitment.
Demosthenes died in 322 BCE, after the defeat of Greek resistance to Macedonian power. Even so, his reputation only grew after his death: readers in antiquity and far beyond saw in him not just a politician of his moment, but a lasting example of eloquence used in defense of freedom and self-government.